Flack & Angell Flangellized
by Runner043
Summary: What happens to season 6 when it includes Angell and Flack doesn't mourn her death or drink? ... it becomes Flangellized!
1. Chapter 1

What happens to season 6 when it includes Angell and Flack doesn't mourn her death or drink? ... it becomes Flangellized!

My previous story "2 B Continued" went through 6.2, so "Flangellized" picks up in 6.3 and will probably go through the rest of season 6. But we'll have to wait and see how my muse cooperates. My assumption, at least for now, is that I'll get to use up some random story ideas I've had, while working Angell into season 6 episodes, so some of the chapters may be short. Oh, and there is an obvious spoiler alert for all season 6 episodes here.

More changes;  
* Obviously Mr. Angell did not approach Flack in 6.3 to invite him to his daughter's would-be birthday dinner since 1) Angell didn't die, 2) her birthday isn't till February, so that scene never made sense anyway.  
* Regarding Lucy, I'm trying to keep in the correct time line. For example: when Lindsay & Danny referred to Lucy being 10 months old & about ready to walk in 6.3 (when she should have been only bout 5 months old) then at the end of S6 she's just had her first birthday. Well, that just didn't make sense either.  
* Haylen will be ignored, since CBS killed off Angell just to bring her in and I didn't like her.

And just for clarification; I will refer to Lindsay Monroe-Messer as 'Monroe' instead of Messer, since that could confuse her with Danny. And in case I've never mentioned it before, Angell's friends & family call her "Jessica", all colleagues (including Messer/Monroe, even thought they've become close friends) call her "Angell", and Flack is the only one who ever calls her "Jess".

My beta reader TerriBerri23 was busy this week, so any bloopers you find you can blame on me.

My returning characters from the 12th precinct: Officer Henley (who is also a medic) and Detective Petterson

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CHAPTER 1 (6.3 Latitude & Longitude)  
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Flack and Messer wait against the back wall, almost shoulder to shoulder, each trying unsuccessfully at hiding the silly grin on their face. They were at the firing range, taking care of the NYPD's mandatory annual re-certification. It was actually a good thing they had ear protectors on, which meant they wouldn't bother trying to hold a conversation, since neither of them could think of anything appropriate to say at the moment. In part, because in front of each of them stood the woman they loved, each with gun in hand and taking their turns shooting at the paper targets. It's true that that wouldn't be a turn on for all men, but for those that bled blue... well, enough said.

Monroe and Angell each emptied their magazines and flipped the switches to bring their paper targets in. After taking off their ear protectors and safety glasses, they checked their scores.

"You mind if we go ahead ad-" Monroe started to ask the guys.

"Nope. Not at all." Both men quickly said in unison and with a wave of the hand for them to continue. "You two go right ahead and keep on shooting." Messer added solo before giving his buddy a smirk.

Monroe and Angell shared a knowing look. "I don't think they're checkin' out our paper targets, Linds." Angell said in a low tone.

"Uh, no." Monroe agreed with a slight blush. "But at least it'll be their turn to shoot soon." She added, with the assumption that the roles would be reversed, then both stifled a laugh before switching to shot guns.

"Oh, this is gonna be good." Flack said with only a sideways glance that revealed the goofy grin had already returned to his friend's face.

Several minutes later their ear protectors came back off as the women got their scores officially recorded and secured their weapons. "What?" Messer asked.

"You've still got that look plastered on your face." Flack answered, tilting his chair back against the wall as he stretched his legs.

"What look?" Messer asked, thinking his friend would drop it.

"Nothing." Flack said with a shake of his head. "Let's go. We're up."

"You're wondering." Messer stated. "Aren't you?"

"The only thing I'm wondering about is how many more points I'm gonna score than you." Flack stated as he stood.

"You wouldn't be the only one to wonder, ya know." Danny said. "Some have even come right out and asked if Lindsay and I ca-"

"Whoa, Danny." Flack said, cutting him off and obviously about to say something else, but Danny cut him off this time.

"Not that we've been surprised that people are curious." Danny said, "So uh, you and Angell yet?"

"Danny," Flack said, crossing his arms across his chest and slowly shaking his head as if fighting off a sudden headache. "I'll make ya a deal. I won't do not 'wondering' about you and Lindsay, and you don't do no 'wondering' about me and Jess."

"Guess that answered my question." Danny smirked as he began rolling himself forward.

"Shut up, Danny." Flack smirked back, although, if he was honest, he really had wondered. But Danny didn't need to know that.

FOUR HOURS LATER...

"So we're done serving the warrant and on our way back, and the next thing we know we're stuck in traffic because fire trucks have the street blocked off due to a fire at an elementary school." Officer Henley explained to everyone listening.

"What happened next?" Mr. Angell asked on behalf of everyone.

"So I look over to where Angell was, ya know, to confirm that we should go help, but all I saw was her door closing because she was already out of the car and bolting for the school." Henley said.

"Sounds like my Jessica." Mr. Angell comments proudly.

"Since the fire was at the west end, we were assigned three classrooms to evacuate at the east end of the building. The last kid we needed to get out was in a wheelchair." Henley paused, the memory obviously getting to him, "I pushed him out the door, but we needed to go where there was no walk way. It was a motorized chair and it was heavy, causing the wheels it sink into the wet grass. So, I picked up one side of his chair and Angell the other, and we tried to carry him, but the wind had shifted and was carrying the smoke in our direction. The next thing I know, Angell's picked up the kid up out of his chair and is making a run for the safe area."

"What happened next?" Mr. Angell asked, as it was obvious there was more.

"The boy,... he was crying. He was okay, but upset about his chair being left behind. So, Angell and I went back for it." Henley added.

"How'd you end up with a collar out of this?" Detective Petterson asked.

"While I was helping over at the ambulances, Angell noticed a guy standing nearby. He was just watching, but acting funny. She headed over to talk to him, but he took off, so she chased him down. Turned out he had priors for arson." Henley said.

"So, do you think you could take everything you just said, type it up on a DD-5, and have it on my desk by five" Sythe asked rhetorically as he approached the group.

"Yes, sir." Henley said, quickly turning towards his desk.

"Dad?" Angell asked only a moment later as she entered the bullpen.

"Hey, Jessica. I was wondering where you were." He said.

"I was over at the Crime Lab. Lindsay and I were watching her husband Danny do pull-ups in his wheelchair." Angell informed him.

"Speaking of wheelchairs..." Mr. Angell arched a brown and left the question hanging.

"Henley always was one for drama." Angell said, rolling her eyes. "So, what brings you here?"

"Had to get a new ID made. Apparently I'm not the strapping young cadet I used to be." He answered before giving her a hug. She tried not to laugh, as it was true her father had quite the spare tire these days. "I'm glad I saw you while I was here. Jacob and Jenna will be over for dinner on Sunday. You and Don wanna join us? Sherri is making a pot roast."

"Sounds nice. I'll check with Don and let you know for sure."

"So, where is he?" He asked, looking around the bullpen.

"On his way back from a D.B. at Ellis Island." She answered, not being able to say anything more on an open case.

ON SUNDAY...

Flack had left Mac and Stella at the crime scene, the D.B. of a woman in a garden, another victim of the Compass Killer, in order for he and Angell to get to her father's house in time for dinner.

"What's wrong, Jess?" He asked her, only a few minutes into their drive, after noticing how quiet she was. Something obviously bothering her and he hoped it wasn't Caine hitting on her again.

Angell shook her head slightly, "Nothing." Was her simple response, and a lie. Actually, there were two things. One she would tell him about if he pressed, which she was sure he would, and the other was that Caine was hitting on her again, but she didn't want to talk about that.

"Jeeeess." He coaxed, dragging out her name.

"It's nothing, Don. Just a strange day." She said, staring out the passenger side window.

He picked up her hand, lacing their fingers, then kissed the back of it. "We love each other." He stated.

"Yeah. We do." She said in response, now looking at him, not exactly sure why he'd said it that way.

"That means we trust each other and we don't lie to each other." He said, kissing the back of her hand again, while not taking his eyes off the road.

"It's nothing really. Just something someone said to me earlier,... Have you ever heard of a 'holiday sister'?" She asked.

"A what?" He asked, not sure that he'd heard her correctly.

"Okay,... so I'm interviewing this lady named Katherine today who claimed to have no family. Then, later I find out she has a sister, and when I call her on it she she tells me she didn't factor her in because she's just a 'holiday sister'." Angell said.

"A 'holiday sister', huh?" Flack said, "That's either really sad, or really convenient."

Angell laughed slightly at understanding what he meant. "True. I guess it could be." She paused, "But, Don, they're half sisters, almost ten years apart in age, raised separately by divorced parents, with absolutely nothing in common. They're like related strangers. Even thought they both live here in New York Katherine said she only sees her at the holidays because she makes the effort to invite her. Otherwise, there would be no contact at all." She watched as the notion sunk in, yet Flack didn't respond. "That's just so sad. My brothers drive me crazy some times, always have, but I can't imagine my life without my family."

"So, this applies to 'holiday brothers' as well?" Flack asked, trying to lighten the mood just a bit. It worked, and Angell smiled.

"You're right. It could be quite convenient." She smirked.

"Ya know, the holidays aren't that far away, Jess. We're going to have to decide where to spend them soon, and I can already tell you that I'll be the cooked goose if I show up for Thanksgiving dinner without you." Flack informed her.

"How about, for tonight, we just get through dinner with my family."


	2. Chapter 2

What happens to season 6 when it includes Angell and Flack doesn't mourn her death or drink? ... it becomes Flangellized!

Not only am I'm leaving in the part about Flack not shooting Marcia Vasquez, but I'm going to expand on it, because I think CBS did a terrible job with that whole thing.

Changes for this chapter; Obviously since Flack is not mourning Angell's death he will not be drinking alone in a bar at the end. Oh, and Haylen is not in this one either, because I don't like her.

My characters for this chapter;  
Paul & Carrie Abrams, Nick Abrams Officer Foster

**Chapter 2, Dead Reckoning **

She was wearing them again, those wine colored pumps he enjoyed seeing her in. As if she wasn't beautiful enough, they made her legs look a mine long and he knew he was the envy of many men in the room. "What are you doing?" She said with an uncharacteristic giggle, breaking him from his thoughts.

He smiled as he leaned her back, putting only the slightest distance between them so he could see her face. "Sorry." He said sheepishly, realizing he hadn't succeeded in being 'casual' about smelling her neck. "I was just noticing your perfume."

She took in the shimmer of his blue eyes in the dim lighting of the restaurant's dance floor and smiled back at him. "I take it, you approve."

"Mhmm." He mumbled, their foreheads now pressed to together.

"It's called 'Night Angel'." She informed him.

"Appropriately named." He said, pulling her close again as they resumed swaying to the slow music.

An hour later their meal was finished and they were back out on the dance floor again. "Don." She said, getting his attention. "Is that Mac?"

Flack looked across the room to where she was indicating. "Yeah. I think it is." Mac was walking around the far edge of the dance floor, apparently heading for his table and hadn't noticed them. "Do you care if he sees us?" He asked, since they were still keeping their relationship quiet.

Angell was obviously pondering the question, not sure if she wanted her relationship with Flack out in the open yet, but getting very tired of feeling like they were always hiding. "I don't really know, Don. What do you think?"

"I think I want to keep dancing with you,... and if someone we know happens to see us,..." He answered with a shrug, leaving his words unfinished for her interpretation. He was also getting tired of hiding their relationship, but wanted to respect her wishes. Of course, they were talking about Mac in this case, who was probably here on a date as well. They both knew Mac was a private person and would respect their privacy in return and keep quiet anyway.

Instead of commenting on Flack's response, Angell just laid her head back on his shoulder and they resumed their slow movements.

Several songs later, they had decided it was time to head out, as they both had shift in the morning. Flack reluctantly released Angell so they could head back to their table to retrieve their coats. From their new vantage point they could see Mac again, seated across a small the table from someone. "I can't see who he's with." Flack stated. They could see bare legs and high heels, obviously a woman.

Angell put her hand on Flack's arm and causing him to turn back to her. "If he's seen us, we expect him to respect our privacy, so let's do the same for him." She said with a smile. Flack nodded in agreement and they turned to leave.

"Do you think he saw us, Mac?" Mac's dinner date asked, a bit concerned.

"I don't know. He can't have a very good view of us, since we can't hardly see him." He answered.

"True." She said, "Not with the dance floor between us like this."

"I only noticed him when he stood because he's so tall. I can't even see who he's with from here." Mac answered, then turned back to her, "And it doesn't matter. If he's seen us, then he's seen us. Nothing we can do about it. Besides, Flack's a man of integrity and I doubt he'd violate our privacy."

"True, again." She said with a slight smile, her features no longer showing any anxiety.

"Speaking of dance floors," Mac said as he stood and offer his hand before escorting her to the dance floor. He loved watching her curls sway as they moved to the music.

They had been called to the scene early in the morning. Angell, Messer, Monroe, and Bonasara arrived first. It was cold outside, very cold, so the broken windows of the house didn't improve conditions for them being inside.

The scene had been secured, so it was time to start processing. A fight had clearly started in the house, the master bedroom to be more precise. The bedding was a mess and all but drug off the mattress, a pool of blood on the hardwood floor, cast-off and spatter dotted multiple pale green walls, a trail down the stairs and out the back door. The body of Carrie Abrams was in the dumpster in the alley behind the house. They all felt sorry for the neighbor who'd found her while taking out his trash.

"I'll take the dumpster. It needs to be processed before Sid can take away the body and confirm C.O.D." Lindsay said.

"I'll take the upstairs." Stella said, picking up her kit.

"I've got the downstairs." Danny said unnecessarily, since he was in a wheelchair and it just seemed obvious.

"I'll start interviewing the neighbor. Flack will be here soon, then we'll begin canvasing." Angell stated, and everyone went their appointed way.

Lindsay set up a ladder to get the vantage point she needed to take photos inside the dumpster. Mrs. Abrams was crudely wrapped in the master bathroom's shower curtain that barely concealed her lingerie covered body. When Lindsay finished with the wide shots she zoomed in for some close ups of the hands, but jumped back when something suddenly moved. 'Yuck, I hate rats.' she thought to herself, seeing something move again. She got down from her ladder and put down her camera, then looked around for a stick, preferably a very large one. She figured if she hit the outside of the dumpster the rats would scurry out and run away in search of safety. 'There's a nice big one' she told herself and reached behind a recycle bin to retrieve it. Then she heard a noise and turned around. The ladder had been knocked over by a man who was attempting to climb out of the dumpster. But more pressing at the moment was her being almost face to face with another man who grabbed at her. Lindsay tried ducking from his reach, but it didn't work, and in only seconds he had her pinned against the fence with a hand over her mouth. She reached for her gun, but he grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her. The second man was quickly approaching, but was suddenly tackled from the side as Flack's shoulder collided with his rib cage, knocking him to the ground. Flack quickly jumped to his feet and reached for his weapon.

"NYPD! Freeze!" Flack ordered, pointing his gun at him.

"Not so fast." The other perp said, holding an already bloody knife on Lindsay. "Put the gun down, cop." He ordered Flack.

"Not gonna happen." Flack stated, keeping his gun aimed at the perp on the ground in front of him.

The man with the knife suddenly grabbed a handfull of Lindsay's hair and jerked her head back, moving the knife closer to her throat. "I said,... put the gun down, cop."

"He already told you,... not gonna happen." Angell reiterated, causing both men to turn and look, not only at her, but also at Stella and Danny, who all had their guns pointed at them.

Angell and Stella stood at the bottom of the steps and kept their guns directed at the perp who held the knife to Lindsay. Flack still had the other perp covered. Danny, of course, stayed at the open door at the top of the steps, gun also at the ready and totally pissed off that his wife was in danger.

When Lindsay saw the man wisely begin to yield, she quickly grabbed his wrist and twisted it behind him, causing the knife to fall to the ground. She had him on the ground with her knee firmly planted between his shoulder blades in only a second, then reached for her cuffs.

Lindsay stayed just inside the back door of the house with Danny while Flack and Angell handed the perps off to uniforms for transport to the station for booking. "This crime scene was supposed to have been secured." Lindsay stated with an obvious frustrated tone to her voice as Flack and Angell returned with Mac in tow.

"Who secured this scene?" Danny asked as he rubbed Lindsay's back and obviously not in the best of moods.

Flack and Angell knew their frustration was not directed at them and didn't take it personally. "There were several officers here earlier. It was Foster who declared it secure." Angell stated.

"But we all know that the officers couldn't have searched the dumpster. Unless they suspect something, that would have been contaminating evidence." Flack said, reminding them of something they already knew.

Danny and Lindsay both nodded. They knew it was true. It was no ones fault, they knew that, there was just this natural tendency to want to someone though.

"He's right." Mac stated, wanting everyone to re-focus on the scene that had only begun being processed. "With those guys hiding underneath the dead body like that, it's doubtful any of us would have suspected their presence until they made themselves known."

"Lindsay, would you like me to finish processing outside?" Stella offered.

"No thanks, Ste-" Lindsay began to answer.

"Actually," Angell interrupted, "it looks like you need to get processed before you do any processing, anywhere." She said, looking closely at Lindsay's hair.

"Hold still, Linds." Stella said, looking closely at her. "You've got blood in your hair." She stated, grabbing a swab from her kit.

Lindsay tried not to cringe at the thought of the victim's blood having gotten in her hair.

"And on your coat." Danny indicated. Sure enough, there was blood on the collar where the perp's gloved hand had grabbed her. Stella handed Danny a large evidence bag, which he held open as Lindsay removed her coat.

Lindsay shivered as she put her coat in the bag. "Damn it." She heard Danny say, causing her to look at him in concern.

"What's wrong, Danny?" She asked her husband, but he was looking away, obviously angry at the situation.

"You, uh... you have a blood trail across your neck." Stella answered for him. The perp's hand had left three distinct trails across Lindsay's neck from when he let go of her collar to grab her hair. "Let me just get a photo and a swab, then you can wipe it off."

A few minutes later Lindsay was finished being processed and a bit warmer via the sweatshirt Flack kept in a gym bag in the trunk of his car.

"So, Lindsay, would you like me to finish processing outside?" Stella offered, again.

Lindsay shook her head, "Thanks, Stella, but no. I'm not going to let this get to me." She said, declining her offer again before heading back out into the alley.

After the scene was finished, Danny headed to his physical therapy session while everyone else went back to the lab and precinct.

"Excuse me, but, you did what?" Flack asked in disbelief at the woman stood before his desk.

"You heard me, Detective. I killed my husband last night, and I'm here to turn myself in." Mrs. Carter stated in a calm and matter-of-fact tone.

"Turn around, Mrs. Carter." Flack instructed as he took out his cuffs.

"I'll take care of the suspects." Angell informed Flack, referring to the two men who had been in the dumpster. A.K.A. Carrie Abrams' husband Paul and his brother Nick, who were now the prime suspects in her murder since Sid had already been able to confirm that the knife Paul had threatened Lindsay with was a match to Mrs. Abrams' wounds.

Flack nodded and hauled the very calm Mrs. Carter off to booking.

Before Angell reached the interrogation room her phone rang, it was Stella with information on the case. The suspects would just have to wait a little longer as Angell took a detour to the crime lab first.

Stella stood at the lay-out table, holding up the negligee Mrs. Abrams had worn when she was killed. First she turned it one way, then another, then still another. She looked up to see Angell standing in the doorway, hands on her hips and with the same perplexed expression she herself wore.

Angell put her hands down as she stepped forward, entering the room, "So,... if a woman can't figure out how to get one of those things on, how on earth is a man supposed to figure out how to get it off?" She said with a slight shake of her head.

Even if the negligee hadn't been full of holes and tares from knife stabs, it was still a bit confusing which way it went on. "I was just wondering the same thing." Stella stated before putting the garment back down on the table. She would return to it in a moment, right now she had some information for the other Detective.

"I've got some results on the knife. The blood is a DNA match to Mrs. Abrams and there's a second DNA match to Nick Abrams." Stella informed her, handing her the print out.

"So the brother-in-law cut himself in the process of stabbing her to death?" Angell more stated than asked. She watched Stella nod. "I was about to interrogate both of the brothers. Care to join me?"

Danny caught up to Flack as he was headed into an interrogation room to interview Mrs. Carter. "Flack!" He called out.

Flack's hand released the door handle, "I've got a confession to hear, Danny. What's up?"

"I uh, just wanted to thank you for this morning." Messer said. "If anything had happened to Lindsay, I-"

Flack held up his hand to stop his friend, "We all have each others backs, Danny. You know that."

Danny nodded sheepishly, "It's just that,..." Danny paused, needing a moment to not loose his composure, "I wanted to be her hero today, Don... and I couldn't. I know that sounds stupid-"

"It's not stupid, Danny. She's your wife. You love her and you don't want to see her hurt. Every husband wants to be the hero." Flack said to his friend, remembering the look on his face when the hand print was discovered on Lindsay's neck.

Danny looked down, shaking his head, trying to come up with the right words, "I felt so helpless out there, still stuck in this wheelchair like this. And if you hadn't shown up when you did-"

"But I did, and she's okay. Besides, you're going to be out of that thing soon, Danny. How did your physical therapy session go?" Flack asked.

Danny cringed inwardly, hoping his friend wouldn't notice his hesitation. He still had such mixed emotions over what Hawkes had said to him. "It's going good, man. It's going good." He lied.

"Well," Flack began, noticing that Danny wasn't comfortable with the direction the conversation was going, "I want you to know that you can count on me to look after Lindsay any time it's necessary."

"And you know you can count on me to do the same for Angell." Danny stated.

"And the women are never going to know this conversation took place." Flack stated as he stuck his and out.

"That's right." Messer immediately agreed, shaking hands with Flack. Both men knew if their ladies ever learned they had a pact to watch over them if it ever became necessary they'd both be up a creek.

THE NEXT DAY...

"I can't believe it! This is the second time today I've have to defend myself for not killing someone!" Flack stated in an agitated tone as he paced.

"Easy there, buddy." Danny said, trying to calm his friend down. "All I asked is 'what happened?'."

"Lindsay was standing behind her." Flack stated, arms folded across his chest and looking Messer right in the eyes. He saw the look of surprise come to his friend's face. "Yeah, we'd chased Marcia Vasquez into the diner, and yes, she was waving a knife at me, but there was no reason to shoot her, Danny. There were still several customers in the booths trying to get out of the way,... and Lindsay. Lindsay was behind her, too. What if I'd missed, Danny. I could have hit Lindsay."

"I never thought our little pact would have to be enacted so soon, but," Danny paused and stuck out his hand, "thanks for watching out for her."

THAT EVENING...

Angell paused after opening the door, as Flack stood there talking on his cell phone. "Yeah, Sam. I know. Don't worry about it." He said, entering her apartment with a apologetic look. She took the sack of Chinese take-out from him and put it on the table to unpack, then listened to his side of the conversation for several more minutes before he managed to end the call.

"Sounds like we were right about that 'holiday sister' idea being convenient." Angell said, handing him chopsticks.

"Well, ironically," Flack began while he used the chopsticks to pick up a piece of Mar Far Chicken, "It's the holidays she was calling about." He said before stuffing his mouth.

"Already?" Angell asked in surprise, picking up a fork. She wouldn't embarrass herself even attempting chopsticks again. Well, not since her most recent attempt landed a noodle in Flack's hair.

"Remember what I told you about my parents hoping I'd bring you for Thanksgiving?" He asked, then watched her just nod, as she was now eating noodles. "Well, apparently they're taking the long route by asking Sam to poke around and see if she can get any information about our plans." He explained.

"Already?" Angell repeated with an arched brow. It wasn't that she didn't like to plan things in advance, she just really wasn't thinking about Thanksgiving yet.

"Yes. Already." He answered, picking up another piece of chicken. "I put her off as best as I could, but we're going to have to make a decision soon, either way."

"The CSI's are smart scientists. Maybe they can figure out a way to clone us." Angell said with a laugh. "Because I can already tell you, my dad is also going to be hoping I'll be bringing you to Thanksgiving dinner." She informed him.

Flack rolled his eyes, "Okay, let's talk about that later. How did you case turn out?" He asked before reaching for the noodles.

"Twisted. Husband & wife wanted to spice things up a bit in the bedroom. Wife thought that meant new lingerie. Husband thought that meant a threesome." She stated, then watched him grimace. "With his brother." She added, then watched him nearly gag.

"So, how did your case turn out?" She asked a moment later.

"Also twisted. After seven years of marriage, man decides one wife isn't enough, adds a second wife, gets away with it for another year. First wife finds out there's another woman, stabs him seventeen times, then turns herself in and confesses to everything." He explains. "Apparently she didn't like the idea of a threesome either."

"Tell me about Marcia Vasquez." Angell eventually requested.

Flack sighed heavily, looking away and obviously not wanting to have to explain himself for a third time, but he would. "There were customers in the booths behind her that could have been hurt if I'd taken a shot. Lindsay was behind her and could have gotten hurt if I'd taken a shot. Hell, Jess, I didn't even need to take a shot. She wasn't close enough to me that it had become necessary and I was still tryin' to talk her down, and I'm not about to shoot anyone if I haven't seriously tried to talk 'em down first."

Angell very calmly set her food down on the coffee table, then took his food and chopsticks and put them down as well. "We love each other." She stated, taking both his now empty hands in hers.

"Yeah. We do." He said in response, these words sounding familiar.

"That means we trust each other and we don't lie to each other." She reminded him, repeating his own words back to him, and he remembered them from their previous conversation. "And,... a partial truth is still a lie." She added gently.

He tilted his head back and took in a deep breath, then slowly let it out to relax. "She looked like you." He stated, now looking down into her warm brown eyes. "Yes, there were customers still in the diner, yes Lindsay was in my line of shot, no I didn't need to shoot her, but... in all honesty, I'm not sure I could have pulled the trigger anyway because... she looked like you, Jess." Angell reached up and cupped his face. She slid herself closer to him and he buried his fingers into the hair around her neck. "And if I had put a bullet in her, Jess,... she would have been lying on the floor of a diner, bleeding out, just like y-"

"Shhhh." She shushed him at noticing his blue eyes filling with tears. "I'm right here, Don." She said against his lips, "Right here with you."


	3. The Fabric Law

I hope you are enjoying my story "Flangellized" so far, as I work my way through season 6. I've recieved lots of comments on the title and am glad you like it.

As always, I suggest you read my stories in order as they build on each other. There is a numbered list on my profile. Hard to believe this is story #14! Also, this chapter contains an excerpt from my one shot story "365 Days" that you might recognize.

My beta reader TerriBerri23 is back!... my thanks to her, as always!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
CHAPTER 3 - BATTLE SCARS  
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"Coming!" Flack called out as he raced for the door of his apartment. He checked through the peep to confirm that it was Angell outside his door since he was expecting her. "Hey, Jess." He greeted.

"Um,... hi." She greeted, entering and remaining just inside the door.

"So how was your sh-?" He started to ask, but stopped. "Something wrong?"

"Um, no. It's just that, I um, I could have waited." She answered sheepishly, yet somehow managing a bit of a smirk mixed in.

"Waited for what?" He asked.

Angell laughed and gestured to Flack's barely clad body. The towel slung over his shoulder did little to catch the water dripping from his hair, he had no shirt on, and no socks on. His only item of clothing was a pair of sweat pants that were obviously hastily put on, as they were crooked and riding quite low on his hips. "Ya know, the pizza delivery guy might not be as flattered as I am." She stated.

Flack blushed and cleared his throat, "I heard knocking when I shut the shower off. Didn't know how long you'd been waiting." He said while adjusting his sweat pants. "I'll be right back." He added.

Angell watched him walk towards his bedroom. 'I wonder if he even has anything on under those' she thought, before shaking the thought from her mind and shedding her coat.

Flack returned only a minute later, his hair towel-dried, a wife-beater and socks added to his wardrobe, and yes, she was even sure she got a glimpse of the band from his boxers under his sweat pants.

"How were you kids today?" Angell asked, referring to his coaching basketball at the local YMCA.

"It went really well. We got two new kids today that just moved into the neighborhood, so this should be a good way for them to make friends and get off on the right foot with activities." Flack answered as he headed for the door, their pizza delivery arriving.

"So, as I was about to ask earlier, how was your shopping trip with Jenna?" He asked, setting the pizza box down on the coffee table.

"Well, let's put it this way; Babies-R-Us is going to need to re-stock." She answered. She heard Flack laugh, but he didn't say anything. "Madeleine needed and bought stuff when she was pregnant, too, but nothing like this."

"Well, Patrick and Amanda have already got so much stuff from her sisters that they practically have a nursery ready... and they're not even expecting yet. So maybe Jenna is just hoping she'll get some stuff from Madeleine. I mean, how old will Dominique be by then?" Flack asked.

"Old enough to be finished using lots of things, but Jared and Madeleine are already talking about having another baby." Angell informed him.

AN HOUR LATER...

"Are we actually talking about kids, Don?" Angell asked, a bit wide-eyed and surprised.

"Sounds like it to me." Flack replied with a smirk and actually enjoying the almost nervous tone in her voice. "Don't look at me like that, you started this whole conversation. What's the big deal? It's not like we're talking about planning one at this very moment." He joked.

"Ya got that right." She replied, retaking her seat on the couch and putting her feet back across Flack's legs. "And for the record, we were talking about my brother and sister-in-law having another baby. Okay, okay. Alright then, how many?"

Flack mimicked deep concentration, "Either two or four." He said, rubbing her feet.

"Four?" She replied in surprise.

"Odd numbers aren't good when it comes to kids. Too much fighting that way." He informed her. "Your turn... how many?"

"One or two." She replied.

"Can't do just one." He stated matter-of-factly while shaking his head.

"Why not?" She asked.

He looked at her with an 'are you serious?' look on his face, "Can you imagine being an only child? We both have siblings that drive us nuts, but neither of us would want to be an only child either."

"Hmm, that's true." She thought out loud.

"Two it is then." Flack smirked, "Okay,... boys, girls, or one of each?"

"Boys." Angell answered immediately and shaking her head. "I'd never know what to do with girls, especially two of them." Flack laughed at his tomboyish girlfriend. "Okay... your turn."

"Boys." Flack agreed without hesitation. "Well, at least one, anyway. Gotta carry on the Flack name, ya know." He gave her a teasing smile, "Don't worry, Jess, I'm pretty sure it's gonna be a long time before Three's arrival."

"Three? We both just agreed on two." She said to clarify.

"'Three', as in Donald James Flack, III (the 3rd)." He clarified in return.

"Wait a minute,..." She began, sitting more upright, "... are you telling me that you'd call your son 'Three', like the number? You can't call a kid by a number! That's the government's job."

Flack laughed. "'Three' as in like a nickname, Jess. Okay, my dad is Donald, Sr. I'm Donald, Jr. Next in line is Donald, III."

"Yes, Don," She smirked, "I understand how the order goes, but,... 'Three'?"

"It's better than bein' called 'Donnie', trust me." He informed her, still trying not to laugh at her exasperated expression.

ANOTHER TWO HOURS LATER...

Flack was seated in his favorite TV watching spot. They had affectionately nicknamed his old recliner HUC, which stood for Hideously Ugly Chair. It had started out as a joke, then just kind of stuck. Angell sat in the other recliner, an end table with a lamp between them. Flack turned off the TV as the movie ended and watched Angell get up and move over to his chair. She put a knee down on the seat beside him, then her other knee on the other side of him, so she was straddling him. He wasn't sure what she had in mind, but he was pretty sure he was going to like it. And yes, sure enough, the next thing he knew a major make-out session was in full swing and she was doing that thing... that thing that drove him crazy... the way she sucked his tongue just drove him absolutely crazy... and he was pretty sure she knew it, too.

Flack's right hand was buried in Angell's hair, his left slowly slid up her thigh util his fingers brushed the skin just above her waistband.

Angell reached over and turned off the lamp on the end table next to them and gestured for Flack to lean forward. As he did, she reached behind him and pulled his wife-beater off over his head.

Flack leaned all the way back in his recliner, taking Angell with him and causing her hair to fall around her face as she looked down at him. With his right hand buried again in her hair while he kissed her, is left was working the buttons on her blouse.

"You realize what's about to happen, don't you, Don." It was a statement, not a question.

"Mhmm." He mumbled against her neck. "I don't care. I want to feel you up against me." He said as he pushed her blouse over her shoulders, then pulled her close again.

The skin to skin contact made them both shudder, then the phone rang. "I told you that you were going to kill someone." She said, her head thrown back as he nipped at her neck, fingers buried in his hair.

"You started this. So, it's your fault this time that someone is dead." He stated against her skin as his hands continued roamed her back.

Yes, sure enough the Fabric Law had been enacted, again. After making a Murphy's Law type of connection that every time one of their make-out session heated up to the point they removed even one item of clothing, that sure enough one of their phones would ring because there had been another homicide that demanded attention. So they'd long ago nick-named it the Fabric Law. And yes, it was happening again.

"Detective Flack." He stated, answering his phone. "Sure. I'll be right there." He added, staring at Angell who was still straddling him, but now raised up on her knees. His hand still rest on her hip and he took in her sexy messed up hair. "I gotta go." He stated, resting his forehead against her bare abdomen.

Then her phone rang, too. "Detective Angell." She said, answering her phone. "Sure. Which hotel? Got it."

"Looks like we're car pooling." He stated.

THIRTY MINUTES LATER...

"Who breaks into a hotel room to commit a robbery, then leaves a pile of money on the bed?" Angell asked out loud.

"Someone who wore this mask." Hawkes stated, holding up the mask.

THE NEXT DAY...

"So that's a 'dancing ring', huh?" Angell observed, then watched Mac nod in confirmation. "Looks like fun, actually." She added, causing Mac to show a look of surprise.

Flack wasn't surprised though, he knew how much she enjoyed going out dancing and they really needed to do that again very soon. He looked over, and sure enough, Angell's hips were swaying to the music. 'Oh yeah, we gotta go out dancing.' He confirmed to himself.

"Hey, you should come hang out here more often, sweet thing." The perp said to Angell.

Angell rolled her eyes, "Just tell us what happened."

"It's like I said, he was stealin' my dance moves." He repeated. "You uh, you've probably got some pretty good moves, too, sweet thing."

"Retaliating over stealing. Sounds like motive to me." She said while looking down at her note pad she was writing in, then looked up, "And you call me Sweet Thing one more time, and I'll make sure you're put in a cell with that gang we busted from the gay bar,... then you can be there sweet thing." Angell added with a straight face.

The man looked over at Mac and Flack. "I'd listen to her if I were you." Mac stated.

Flack was tempted, so very tempted, to say something sarcastic, but didn't. Angell had obviously held her ground with the kid, so he just crossed his arms over his chest and gave him a mean look.

"Alice?" Angell asked Flack and Danny with an arched brow. "Oh, you two are going to have some fun with this interrogation, I can tell."

Danny just gave a big cheesy grin, then nodded. He was obviously looking forward to this interrogation. Not just because of Alice Santiago, but because he was walking around with a cane instead of being in a wheelchair,... and it had changed his entire countenance.

"You headed to the Center Ring Firing Range with Mac?" Flack asked Angell.

"Yeah, that's where Hawkes traced the simulated round back to. But, uh, maybe you two should go instead." She suggested.

"Why's that?" Both men asked in unison.

Angell put her hand on her hip, "Seriously. Guys. After Lindsay and I kicked your butts at the firing range the other day, you're actually going to ask me 'why'?"

Flack and Danny gave each other a pleading look, neither knowing how to get out of this situation. "Oh, come on, Angell. You two didn't score that many more points than we did. Besides, ya know, come on, Linds grew up shooting guns, and uh.. Oh, never mind."

"Have fun." She said with a smirk before departing.

"That was the best you could do?" Flack accused his friend.

"They really did kick our butts." Danny stated.

Flack let out an 'I give up' sigh. "True." He stated.

"Firing range this weekend?" Danny suggested.

Flack nodded, "Yeah." He agreed, then changed the subject. "Hey, Danny,... I was wondering, now that you've got your sea legs back, how soon till we can take the ladies out dancing again?" Flack asked. He was so happy for his friend it showed.

Danny smiled, "Soon, man. Soon. Let me get rid of this thing first." He said, holding up his cane.

"Alright. In the meantime, lets go talk to Alice." Flack smirked.

THAT EVENING...

"What a terrible twist of fate." Flack said, referring to the death of Jesse Lewis, who had only wanted to gain back the respect of his girlfriend, which he'd never lost in the first place.

"He should have just been able to talk to her about it." Angell stated while slipping into her charcoal grey ankle boots.

"Yeah, I guess so." Flack sort of mumbled while watching her.

"You guess so?" Angell inquired, looking up, not sure what he meant.

"Well, come on, Jess. It's not like the guy's gonna get all touch-feely and tell his girlfriend the truth." Flack stated in defense of the male half of the population.

"Admit the truth to someone you love and are supposed to be able to trust vs. being six feet under. Sounds like a no brainer to me, Don." She stated, reaching for her jacket.

"I'll tell ya what," He began, taking a step closer to her, "I can tell you something in truth right now." He reached an arm around her waist. "I can't wait to get you out on the dance floor tonight." He admitted before kissing her. "After seeing your hips sway as we watched the dancing ring earlier, it's been in the back of my mind all day."

"Really?" She asked before kissing him back.

"Mhmm." He mumbled against her lips.

"Well, at least we won't have to worry about breaking the Fabric Law tonight." She teased, taking a step back and turning towards the door.

"Good. 'Cause you've already killed a lot of people, Jess." He teased, following her towards the door.

"Me? Hah! You're the one who started it last time." She insisted as they left her apartment.

"No, I'm pretty sure it was you who started it last time." Flack refuted.


	4. Green

First off, let me just say 'thank you' for all the reviews so far. Lots of comments on the 'Fabric Law' which will come into play again later.

Okay, so this chapter takes place in the episode "It Happened To Me" where the guy bled to death in the crosswalk, Flack nearly gags at the idea of a sploshing party, and Hawkes has serious financial problems.

My new characters for this chapter; the Williams family: Mark & Susan, Aimee, Carlee, and Emilee

My returning characters for this chapter:  
SWAT team leader Lieutenant Jose Diaz and his side-kick Bradley

**BASED ON "IT HAPPENED TO ME"**

"I missed seeing you last night." Flack said as he passed Angell the bottle of mustard.

"Thanks." She said, before realizing she hadn't asked him to pass it to her.

"You always put mustard on your fries." He stated. "So, what time did you finally get off shift?" He asked.

"It was after midnight." She answered, passing him an extra napkin. He looked up and took it from her with a questioning expression on his face. "You're not the only one who's predictable." She answered, knowing he hated the idea of his silverware touching the table. She thought his borderline germaphobia was adorable, plus it ensured they'd only eat in the cleanest of places.

"Right." He responded, wondering just how many meals they'd eaten together in that diner. It was a far cry from a quiet romantic meal he'd prefer to be enjoying with her, which hadn't happened in several days, but at least it was time together, and that's what mattered at the moment.

She noticed he opened his mouth again as if to speak, but was interrupted.

"Well, well, look who it is." Detective Thacker said as he approached their booth.

"Don't start, Thack." Flack ordered without looking up from his plate and knowing that Thacker did not care for the nickname. "Half the NYPD eats here every day."

Thacker responded only with a smirk as he continued on past their booth, heading towards the men's room in the back. Not that he'd orignally intended on that destination, but he found himself in need of a cover as soon as he'd heard the agitated tone in Flack's voice.

"I hate being water cooler gossip." Angell said as soon as he was far enough away.

"We both do, Jess." Flack said, "And feeling like we get stares. And feeling like we're keeping a secret. And I really hate not getting to see you as much as I'd like." He added, swiping one of her fries.

"Well, that last one we're going to have to blame on long shifts." Angell stated. "What is up with the murder rate right now?"

"It's a good thing we're both cops." Flack said, trying to swipe another fry.

"Who else would understand our crazy life." Angell replied, while successfully preventing him from taking another fry.

"No one." Flack stated, looking directly at her, as if to confirm what she was thinking; that there was no one else that could understand, and that is why they were perfect for each other.

Less than an hour later Angell was arguing outside a store front with a C.I. Flack leaned against the window waiting for her to finish and noticed a little girl inside. "Hello." He said to her after entering the small store.

She looked up at him with big wide green eyes, but didn't speak. She held a banana in one hand and clutched what he assumed was change in the other.

"I'm Detective Flack. I'm a police officer." He told her, bending a knee so he was down at almost eye level. He also held up his badge so she wouldn't be frightened. "Are you here with someone?" He asked, but got no answer. "It's not good for you to be out alone. Where are you mommy and daddy?" He asked, but again got no answer. "What's your name?" Again, no answer, she just stared at him with those big green eyes. "You uh, you shop here all the time?" He asked, trying to think of anything to get her to talk. She was quite young, maybe six or seven he guessed, definitely too young to be out alone like this.

She slowly raised her hand that held the banana. "How much does it cost?" She asked.

"I don't know." Flack answered her. "That man over there behind the counter has to weigh it first, to tell you how much it cost."

The little girl looked over at the man behind the counter, then walked over to him. She did not speak, just held up the banana to him as if he'd know what to do with it.

The clerk weighed the banana and told her, "Seventeen cents."

The little girl opened her hand that held several coins and stood there as if studying them. She picked up the nickle first, then shook her head 'no' and put it back in her palm. Then she picked up a dime and did the same thing, as if knowing those weren't the correct coins she needed. "Is this one seventeen cents?" She asked the clerk, holding up a quarter.

Flack was a bit flustered, as he could tell the clerk was as well. Obviously the little girl wasn't old enough to know there wasn't a specific coin worth seventeen cents. "I'll tell ya what, I'll pay for the banana, if you'll tell me your name." He bargained with her.

"Flack, we've a call. A dea-" Angell said, entering the store, but stopped when she saw the little girl. She didn't want to say certain words in front of her. "Um, there's a DB in the area." She finished.

"Actually, Angell, I kind of need to talk to the clerk here before we go." He said, then turned to the little girl. "This is my partner Detective Angell." He informed her.

"Hi." Angell said, greeting her. She was aware that Flack needed her to distract the girl while he talked to the clerk. "What's your name?"

"Yeah, good luck with that." Flack mumbled as he and the clerk walked past to talk out of ear shot.

"She's been coming in once a day for several days now." The clerk told Flack. "Yesterday she bought a box of crackers. The day before she bought some bread. The day before that she bought, uh, well I forgot what she bought that day."

"I get the idea." Flack said, holding up a hand. "What can you tell me about her?"

"I'd seen her before that. Came in with a lady a few times. Her mother, I assumed. And another little girl, too. I think." He said. "Sorry, there's too many customers to remember much about them."

"But you haven't seen her with her mother recently?" Flack asked.

A thoughtful expression crossed the mans face before he answered with a shake of his head, "No, not recently."

Flack and the clerk walked back over to the counter where Angell was introducing the little girl to a female police officer who would stay with her till her mother was found or child services was called.

"As I was saying, we've got a call. There's a DB right across the street." Angell said as they left the market, indicating the apartment building directly across from the store.

"Landlord called it in. Said a neighbor complained about the smell. Couldn't get anyone to answer the door, so he let himself in and found her like this. Said he didn't touch anything." The uni told Flack and Angell as soon as they entered the bedroom.

"Thanks." Flack answered. "Keep the hallway clear." He instructed.

"Look at her." Angell said, taking several steps closer. "She looks..."

"Like she's sleeping." Stella finished for her.

Angell looked up to see the CSI entering the room with her kit. "Hi, Stella."

"Hey, Angell." Stella returned, setting her kit down and stepping closer to the body. "You're right. She does look like she's sleeping. Blankets are neat and pulled up around her. Slippers here on the floor next to the bed."

Flack was handed some papers by a second uni before he spoke, "Landlord sent these up." He said, indicating the paper, "Says here, the apartment is rented to Mark and Susan Williams."

"Any contact or work information for Mr. Williams?" Stella asked.

"Yeah, but the area code for his cell number isn't for around here." He stated, reading from the papers. "Plussss... it says here that they've got three kids."

"I saw toys in the living room." Angell stated. "But no sign of children since we arrived."

"Maybe they're with the husband." Stella wondered, then turned at a noise. "You hear that?"

Flack nodded, looked around, then gestured to the closed closet door. They all drew their guns, not knowing if they were going to find the missing children or Susan Williams' killer.

Stella cautiously opened the door to see two sets of green eyes staring back at her. "Well, hello there." She said in a gentle tone. "I'm Detective Bonasara." She said, holding up her badge so the two little girls wouldn't be scared. "You can call me Stella." She told them, then it took her several minutes to coax them out of the closet.

"I can't get a word out of them." Stella told Flack and Angell several minutes later, the girls now sitting on the couch with a female police offcier. "And we're still missing a child." She added.

"Wait a minute." Flack said, heading for the hall way. He began scanning the pictures hanging there till he found the one he needed. "I'll be right back." He said before rushing out the door.

Angell walked to the hall and saw the framed photo hanging there that Flack had looked at, then showed it to Stella and told her about the little girl in the market across the street. She finished just in time for Flack to return with the little girl.

"Ai-ee! Ai-ee!" The youngest girl squealed as her big sister entered the apartment. Aimee jerked her hand free from Flack's and ran to her younger sisters.

Flack, Stella, and Angell stood in the living room, wondering how to get the girls to talk. "Well, let's just ask 'em." Stella said, then paused and nodded her head, Flack and Angell looked over as they all watched Aimee peel the banana she'd still held in her hand till then. She broke it in three parts, giving the biggest piece to the youngest girl Carlee, then the next biggest to Emilee, then kept the smallest piece for herself.

Angell walked over to Aimee and crouched down in front of her, "How old are your sisters, Aimee?" Hoping she would talk now that they were all back together.

"Carlee had her birthday before we left. She's two now. Emilee is four, and I'll be six when daddy gets here." She said, holding up fingers in the process.

"Where is your daddy?" Angell asked

"He's selling our house." Aimee said. "He'll be here in eighteen."

Angell smiled at Aimee who retook her seat on the couch. "So, that could mean he'll be here in eighteen days or he'll be here on the eighteenth." She said, returning to where Flack and Stella stood.

Flack suddenly felt a tugging on his coat and looked down to see Emilee's bright green eyes staring up at him. "Can you make it work?" She asked, stretching up on her toes and holding up a can opener.

"I'll be right back." He heard Angell say.

Angell returned just a few minutes later. "Here you go, Aimee." She said, handing her a sack.

Aimee looked in the sack and pulled out a small bottle of orange juice, then started to hand it to Emilee. "That's okay, Aimee. That one is for you." She said, then handed Emilee and Carlee each sacks of their own.

Flack stood across the room, watching each girl examine their sacks which held a juice, a granola bar, and an apple. He wasn't surprised at Angell's actions, the fact that the girls were obviously hungry was bothering all of them.

Just as the girls were finishing their food Stella returned to the living room. "Aimee, I have someone on the phone who wants to talk to you." She said, putting the phone on speaker.

The girls were excited to get to talk to their dad. "The dad have anything to say?" Flack asked, as they watched the girls from across the room.

"The only thing he could think of even coming close to an injury was one of the moving boxes falling on her head." Stella informed them. "I'll let Sid know. We've got to get these girls out of here so the body can be removed."

Angell walked back over to the girls to help them end the call with their dad. "Now listen girls, you do as the officers tell you and they will keep you safe until Aunt Debbie and I can get there. Okay?" She heard the father instruct over the cell phone's speaker, then watched the three girls nod as if their daddy could see them.

A few minutes later Stella exited the apartment, holding Emilee's hand. Angell was right behind her, holding Aimee's hand. Flack brought up the rear with Carlee who was in need of a nap and being carried by him.

**AN HOUR LATER...**

"Yes, Mr. Williams, someone will be waiting for Debbie." Angell confirmed before hanging up, then returned her attention back to her computer.

"Don't let it get to you, Jess." Flack said. He could tell by how fast she was typing that she was frustrated, or something.

Angell paused her fast paced typing and let out a heavy sigh.

"I heard that." Stella said as she approached their desks in the bullpen. "I've got the autopsy report from Sid." She added, holding up the file, then noticed the looks on their faces that indicated she should continue, so she flipped open the file. "Mrs. Williams had been dead close to a week. There's no signs of a wound or an assault, so his preliminary finding is 'natural causes'."

"Natural causes?" Flack asked, "She's a little young for that."

"True." Stella agreed.

"Maybe that takes us back to her getting hit on the head by one of the moving boxes." Angell said.

"I told Sid about that." Stella said, "He says it's possible something like that could lead to a bruise on the brain or an anurism or stroke later on. He'll know more later."

"What else did the husband have to say?" Asked Stella.

"That his wife moved here only two weeks ago with the girls first, to secure the apartment they wanted and so she could get Aimee registered for first grand and Emilee for pre-school as soon as possible. But they hadn't started yet, so that's why no one missed the girls. He stayed behind to finish the sale of their house and was to join them here on the eighteenth. Said he'd been trying to call all week, thought he'd just kept missing them, but was starting to get worried." Angell relayed.

"Is he on his way?" Flack asked.

Angell shook her head. "He's in Boston and can't get a flight out till tomorrow. But he's got a sister named Debbie who lives up in Albany who will be here in a couple of hours to stay with the girls until he arrives."

"I can't get over those girls. I mean, first they don't tell anyone about their dead mother. Then they have to look after each other till Daddy arrives 'at eighteen', as if they even know when that is. Plus, they'd eaten everything in the kitchen that didn't come in a can they couldn't open or have to be cooked." Flack stated, rubbing a hand over his face.

"Well, you have to look at the situation from the perspectives of a two, four, and almost six year old." Stella said, "They didn't know what was wrong with their mommy or why she wouldn't wake up. Their daddy wasn't there and they only knew that he was coming, but didn't understand the time frame of when. They'd been to the store across the street and understood the concept of using money. Then when you showed up,... did you look at the photo in the hall way, the one of their whole family?" Stella saw Flack nod, "You would remind them of their daddy. That's possibly why Emilee brought you the can opener. She saw you as someone who could help her, like her daddy would do if he was there."

"And probably why Carlee wanted you to carry her when it was time to leave the apartment." Angell added.

Flack sat there for a moment, letting those thoughts sink in.

"That Aimee was quite impressive." Angell stated, "At only six years old, well, not even quite six yet, she did her best to look after her younger sisters. She told me she gave Carlee a bath, because that's what mommy did before bed time. She knew how to tell time, so she made them all go to bed, just like mommy would have done. She knew there was money in her mother's purse and used it at the store across the street to buy food because she knew better than to touch the stove. Yes, she was quite impressive."

"Well, I'll let you two get back to your reports." Stella said before leaving.

"If I could type as fast as Jess, I'd be done by now." Flack said, turning back to his computer.

Angell shut down her computer and retrieved her DD5 from the printer to file it. She put her coat on and stretched. "You about done?" She asked Flack.

"Just about." He answered. "How about some dinner?" He offered. It had now been several days since they'd had a proper meal together and he missed her company.

Angell returned his smile, "Sounds good." She replied, but heard her name was being called at the same time from across the room. She looked up to see Lieutenant Sythe walking over with SWAT leader Lieutenant Jose Diaz and his side-kick Bradley.

"Angell." Sythe said, "You remember Lieutenant Diaz from SWAT?"

"Lieutenant, Bradley." Angell greeted.

"You have a good memory." Diaz said, shaking her hand.

"The Lieutenant is here to request your services, Detective Angell." Sythe informed her.

"Oh?" She responded.

"I've got something going down. Something I could use your help on. Multiple operations has me dividing up my crew right now. You interested?" Diaz asked.

Angell nodded, "What can you tell me first?" She wanted to know.

"Come with me. Let's talk." Diaz said, leaving Bradley behind as he and Angell headed for a conference room. Sythe returned to his office.

Bradley began pulling weapons from a duffel bag and placing them across her desk as if he knew the outcome of her conversation with Diaz. Bradley was apparently smart, as Angell returned about ten minutes later, wearing SWAT gear. "We'll be waiting out front." He informed her, then turned to exit the bullpen with Diaz.

"So much for our dinner plans." Flack stated, obviously disappointed, but trying not to let it show.

"I'm sorry, Don." She said, sincerity in her tone. "But I've got to do this. It's like we were saying earlier, 'no one else would understand'."

"I know, Jess. And I do understand." He said, "But you also need to eat and sleep."

"Sleep? What's that?" She joked, pulling a protein bar from her desk drawer and stuffing it into one of the many pockets her current apparel contained. Then she began loading every other pocket and compartment with guns, knives, a scope, and spare ammo. There seemed to be an assigned spot for every weapon imaginable.

"You got a place for a crossbow, too?" He jokingly asked while noticing Caine across the room, staring at Angell.

"I hope not. I think I've just gained eighty pounds as it is." Angell joked back.

"It looks good on you." He stated honestly, leaning back in his chair and trying to ignore Caine, who was still staring.

Angell looked up at his words and noticed the sultry look in his eyes. "I'm not sure how long this is going to take, but when we're both off shift,... I want us to have that dinner." She said, then watched him nod in agreement.

"Be careful, Jess." He reminded her. He knew she would be, he knew he didn't need to remind her, but he had said it anyway.

It was time for her to go and she ran a finger across his shoulder and said, "I'll call you later." as she walked past him.

It was all Flack could do to keep himself from grasping her hand and pulling her back for a kiss. He hoped her assignment wouldn't last long and they could have some alone time together soon. He turned in his chair and watched her leave the bullpen, fully aware his weren't the only eyes on her.

By the time Flack had finished his paperwork and had his DD5 filed, his phone had already rung letting him know a DB was waiting for him... right in the middle of a crosswalk. He sighed, knowing this was going to be a very long night.

**THE NEXT DAY...**

"What's wrong with Italian?" Angell asked as she and Flack were on the phone together.

"The linguine wasn't just on the vic, Jess. It was on his inner thigh and under his clothing." He explained, then could safely guess by the silence she was probably cringing.

"Okay, okay. No Italian." She agreed.

"And wherever we eat, whatever we eat,... no dessert." He said.

"No dessert?" She asked in surprise, "But, that's like, your favorite part."

"Not after what I witnessed today." He deadpanned. "Just check out 'sploshing parties' on YouTube and you'll understand." He said.

"Maybe I'll just take your word for it." Angell pondered out loud.

"What have they got you doing today?" Flack asked, needing to change the subject so he could manage to eat later.

"Um," Angell began, then paused, "I can't tell you." That surprised Flack, which was apparently obvious in his silence. "Not that I don't want to, I just... can't." she added.

"I understand, Jess." Flack stated in truth. "I miss you." He added, breathing a heavy sigh.

"I miss you, too." She responded, wishing they were together. "We'll be together soon, Don."

**THE NEXT DAY...**

"A tour of available apartments?" Angell repeated as she and Flack stayed in contact via phone once again.

"Yeah. If you're willing to pay the fee, they can save you a lot of leg work. RepoLux apparently stays pretty busy. It's surprising how many apartments are for sale out there." Flack stated.

"Oh. They only do sales." She said, a defeated tone to her voice.

"What? You thinkin' about movin', Jess?" He asked.

"I've thought about it. Not that I need to. My apartment's fine, it's small, but fine, since I'm hardly ever there anyway. It's just kinda far away from work, and the parking sucks. So, yeah, I've thought about moving." She informed him.

"Hey, you should have seen Danny walkin' around today. He's getting much better with the cane, and hopefully he won't even need it much longer." Flack said, obviously happy to see his friend's improved state.

"That's great. He'll be chasing boys away from Lucy before Lindsay can stop him." Angell said with a laugh. Flack bit his lower lip to keep from laughing, so he could hear her. Her laugh was infectious and he missed the little things like that. He missed her. Then his thoughts were interrupted, "Hey, Don, I gotta go." She said, a rushed tone to her voice as work was calling her away from him.

**THE FOLLOWING DAY...**

"Oh, poor Hawkes." Angell states, as she and Flack spend another day in touch only via their cell phones, their jobs keeping them apart for longer than either one of them likes. "What a terrible time to be in the wrong place."

"I understand that, Jess. But he's still holding something back. He still knows more than he's telling us." Flack states, agitation clear in his voice.

"He's probably embarrassed, Don. He's now know to be friends with someone guilty of grand larceny. That doesn't reflect well on him and he's embarrassed." Angell said, feeling sorry for Hawkes.

"I understand that, Jess. But there's still something going on he won't talk about, and that's bugging me." Flack repeats. Most of him also feeling sorry for Hawkes, but there's a small part that doesn't trust the situation.

"On another subject," Angell begins, "my assignment may be over soon. We've got it on good inteligence that our suspects will be on the move very soon. As soon as we determine their exact target, we can take them out and this will all be over."

"Mmmm, dinner together soon is looking like a real possibility." He says, looking forward to their being together again. "I'm thinking Mazzy's"

"I thought your vic's dining habits killed your taste for Italian." She teased.

"Yeah, kinda. But I like the atmosphere at Mazzy's, and the idea of dining with you in candlelight with wine and fettuccine is overriding any thoughts of anything else right now." He informed her.

"And dessert?" Angell inquired, her teasing tone obvious.

"Uh, no. That sploshing party Stella and I visited was just a little to visual for me." He said, a slight look of disgust aparent as he recalled the event.

**LATER THAT SAME DAY...**

"He sold his house and everything, Jess." Flack informed her.

Angell sighed heavily, "Oh, that's terrible. Poor Hawkes. Why didn't he tell anyone?" She asked.

"Said he was just to embarassed. He even said it was a lesson well learned." Flack informed her.

"Yeah, well, there are life lessons learned and then there are lessons unnecessarily learned the hard way. He still could have come to any of us for help instead of hiding the truth like that." She said.

"Yeah, well, he's staying with Mac for right now. That'll give him time to sort things out. Just promise me, Jess, that if anything happens and you need help, that you'll never hesitate to come to me." Flack all but pleaded.

Angell thought for only a moment before responding, "And the same goes for you, Don."

"Deal." He agreed without hesitation. "Although, on my city salary, I seriously doubt I'll ever have to worry about losing large amounts of money the way Hawkes did." He joked and heard her laugh at being able to relate. After all, city jobs were not known for being high paying.

Her laugh suddenly died out as she mumbled, "Uh oh." causing Flack's nerves to suddenly be on edge, something he fought to hide. "Don, I've gotta go. Looks like our informant has given us the final destination for our bust. Looks like it's going to be a busy night."

"Be safe, Jess." He said, a slight hint of pleading in his voice.

"I've got a date at Mazzy's to get to." She replied, her way of affirming that she would.

**LATE THAT EVENING...**

A/N: Oh wait, sorry folks. I'm stopping here for now. This story will continue in the next chapter that leads in to "Hammer Down".

**FAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFA**

BTW- When Angell wore the SWAT 'jumper' I wanted to make sure you're picturing something like coveralls. You know, those full body ones like a mechanic wears. I've read in some stories where a 'jumper' is another name for a jacket/coat, but that's not what I meant here.


	5. Blue and Red

I hope you read chapter 4 because this one picks up right where it left off and falls right between "Manhattanhenge" & "Hammer Down".

My new characters for this chapter; SWAT member Pruet Gang members: Tall Red, Short Red, Blue, Big Blue, Skinny Blue

My returning characters for this chapter:  
SWAT team leader Lieutenant Jose Diaz and his side-kick Bradley

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
CHAPTER 5  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Angell's laugh suddenly died out as she mumbled, "Uh oh." causing Flack's nerves to suddenly be on edge, something he fought to hide. "Don, I've gotta go. Looks like our informant has given us the final destination for our bust. Looks like it's going to be a busy night."

"Be safe, Jess." He said, a slight hint of pleading in his voice.

"I've got a date at Mazzy's to get to." She replied, her way of affirming that she would.

LATE THAT EVENING...

"I know you're all curious why both you teams are here." Diaz began, as he addressed both groups of SWAT members at one meeting. The two groups had each been assigned surveillance of a different gang after a third gang had been taken out and their cocaine seized. "We've finally learned that the two remaining gangs are not going against each other in one huge showdown as we expected, but just the opposite. The Blue Kings and the Red Crypts are joining forces, with a common goal,... to get back the cocaine that was seized and become one huge gang that law enforcement will be battle for years to come if we don't stop them tonight."

"Shit!" Angell seethed under her breath at hearing the news. The location they had been waiting to learn of, was the NYPD.

"Unfortunately," Diaz continued, "the informant we were counting on was discovered and killed, so we lost our advanced notice and must act immediately to warn and defend the 12th Precinct and the Crime Lab. Everyone move out!"

Angell took out her phone as the meeting dismissed and they all rushed for their vehicles to get to the precinct and Crime Lab as soon as possible, the gang possibly already there.

Flack's phone rang as he was headed to the Crime Lab's locker room. He and Danny were going for beers and this seemed the logical place to meet. He checked the caller ID and smiled, "Hey, Jess." He answered.

Danny, Hawkes Lindsay, Stella, Adam, and Mac - well, basically the entire CSI crew - were in the locker room at the end of shift. They had all just locked away their guns, collected their things, and were about to leave when Flack came rushing through the door. "Everyone get out!" He ordered.

"What's wrong, Flack?" Mac questioned.

"SWAT just found out the two gangs they've had under surveillance have merged and are coming here for drugs that were seized last week." Flack blurted out. "They may already be in the building and SWAT is still several minutes out."

"Let's get your guns and get out of here. This is best handled by SWAT, but we want to be prepared just in case we cross paths with them on the way out. Flack, you take the lead. Adam, I want you to stay close to Danny and Lindsay. Hawkes, you stay close to Stell and myself." Mac ordered in a calm but stern fashion.

As Danny, Mac, Lindsay, and Stella began dialing combinations on their lockers to retrieve their guns, the door burst open and three armed men barged in. They grabbed Adam and Hawkes first because they had remained near the door, not needing to go back to their lockers since they don't carry side arms.

"Let 'em go!" Flack ordered, his gun drawn. It was an immediate showdown.

"Drop it cop, or I blow his head off." The tall gangster with the red bandanna ordered, his gun pressed to Hawkes' temple.

"Drop it!" His shorter counterpart ordered, his gun at the back of Adam's head.

"What you want isn't in here." Flack stated, keeping his gun raised. "Now let them go." He insisted.

"Maybe not," The third gangster in the blue bandanna began, "but you're going to do as we say anyway." He said as he slowly walked around the edge of the room, putting Flack at a great disadvantage.

"We've nothing you want. Now let them go." Flack repeated.

"It doesn't matter. What we want, will be brought to us." Blue said, now standing to Flack's left.

Flack couldn't shoot three perps, in two different directions, at once. He lowered his gun in an attempt to prevent blood shed in the loose-loose situation they were in.

"Maybe you've got some brains after all, cop." Tall Red smirked as he pushed Hawkes away. "Cuff him." He ordered Flack, referring to Hawkes. Flack and Hawkes exchanged confused looks. "I said cuff him!" He ordered again, pointing his gun. Flack reluctantly did as he was told and cuffed Hawkes.

Short Red then pushed Adam forward, "Cuff 'im." He ordered Flack, tossing a set of cuffs on the floor, which Flack reluctantly picked up and used on Adam.

Five minutes later Hawkes, Adam, Flack, Danny, Mac, Lindsay and Stella were all cuffed to the towel bars on the wall just outside the shower area of the locker room.

"That's right. Bring to down to the morgue. All of it!" Blue shouted his demands into the phone. "You've got twenty minutes or we start shooting."

"Why the morgue?" Stella asked Mac in a quiet tone.

"They want SWAT to think that's where they're keeping us. Less chance of them getting caught that way." Mac replied in whispered tones, then noticed the look on her face.

Stella jerked her head towards Lindsay and Mac turned around to see her pulling her trusty pocket knife out of her back pocket. Lindsay then went to work on the screws that secured the towel bar to the tiles in the shower area. If she could get one end loose, she could slide her cuffs off.

"I'm headed down to the Morgue for the drop." Blue informed Short Red and Tall Red. "Keep an eye on 'em."

"What are they gonna do? They're cuffed in place." Short red smarted off, which earned him an evil glare from Blue before he left.

Blue went down to the morgue, but stayed in the elevator as it went back up.

Angell got her orders from Diaz via the head set she was wearing, as she and SWAT member Pruet were currently in a helicopter about to land on the NYPD's roof. Pruet would take the fake cocaine down to the morgue for the drop while Angell stayed to guard the helicopter and pilot.

Neither Tall Red or Short Red had much going for them in the way of intelligence. This was obvious by the way they underestimated one petite female cop with a knife they didn't know about. Well, they didn't know about it until one of the screws she had worked loose bounced on the tile floor. Mac's sudden fake coughing fit not doing much to cover the slight but high-pitched sound the screw made as it bounced, then rolled.

Lindsay knew she had to act fast as they walked over to investigate. She quickly returned the knife to her back pocket, grabbed one end of the now loose towel bar, and swinging it into Short Red's ribs. This sent Short Red to the ground, the wind knocked out of him. But Tall Red was right there to take his place, also learning very quickly that it was foolish to have underestimated the petite lady cop who was kicking the crap out of him.

Lindsay fought for all she was worth; using the towel bar as if it was a night stick, she planted repeatedly in Tall Red's stomach before bringing her knee up hard into his nose, then making a break for his gun that had slid across the tiles into the shower area.

Unfortunately Short Red had recovered by this point and intercepted her, reaching the gun just before she did. Soon Lindsay was slamming his hand repeatedly against the tiled wall, trying to get him to drop the gun, which he did, but just as Tall Red grabbed both her arms from behind. Short Red now stood in front of her, ready for some revenge for the beat-down she'd given him. He took a swing, landing his fist hard in her gut. Lindsay nearly doubled over, a combination of pain and having the wind knocked out of her. But she noticed that Big Red hadn't let go of her arms, so she would use it to her advantage. She wasn't going to give up, after all, she had her husband and colleagues counting on her and Lucy to go home to. Using Big Red for leverage, and with all the strength she could muster, she suddenly kicked both her feet up into Short Red's face, then twisting herself free, she grabbed the knife from her back pocket. This of course put her in a whole new fight with Big Red. He may have had a major height advantage, but Lindsay was good with that knife and she knew it.

Danny and everyone listened to Big Red's curses as he pulled the knife from his own shoulder while Lindsay struggled to get to her feet. But before she succeeded, Short Red grabbed her by the hair and punched her several times in the face, then pinned her arm behind her. "This is what you get," He began, while holding Lindsay up on display in front of her colleagues, "this is what will happen if you don't obey us." He shouted at them, then grabbed her by the hair again and swung her around like a rag doll, throwing her into the shower wall. The side of her head colliding with a water control knob.

Danny's body recoiled in symothy pain as he watched his wife's body slide to the floor, and stay there, not moving.

Big Red walked over and stood above Lindsay, the knife in his hand. He paused for a moment and stared at her, before dropped it by her still body as he reached for the water control knob. He washed the blood off his hands, then walked away, leaving the shower on.

"I have a door opening." Angell relayed into her head set, realizing it was too soon for Pruet to be returning. "It is not Pruet. I repeat, it is not Pruet." She stated as she watched four gang members emerge onto the roof, via her night vision binoculars. "I have four perps, and they have the package. I repeat, they have the package Pruet carried in." She stated.

Angell drew her weapon, wondering if they would head for the helicopter, but they all ran the other way, heading for the roof's ladder. She watched as the door opened again, Pruet stumbling out. She called it in as she ran over to him. "We have medics on the way." she heard in her head set. "They're headed down the ladder to get to the fire escape. Someone cut them off! I can't leave Pruet, he's injured."

"We've got them surrounded." She heard, and breathed a sigh of relief. Then she saw the Medi-Vac chopper hovering above them. They would have to rope down, as the landing pad was occupied. The helicopters would temporarily trade places so he could be air-lifted out, but Pruet was going to be okay.

As soon as the paramedics reached them, Angell took off through the roof access door as she radioed in her location. She knew the SWAT team had intercepted most of the gang members, leaving only a few yet to be found. She also knew Flack and the CSI team had yet to check in, so she put two and two together and headed for the locker room, since she knew that had been Flack's destination last she'd talked to him.

Danny's breathing was shallow and rapid. It had done no good for him go keep his eyes on Lindsay. She still hadn't moved. The water from the shower spray continued to rain over her, staining the water pink, probably from a facial trauma he couldn't see because of the way she lay, with her back to him. He tried to peel his gaze away, but couldn't. He wanted to help her, but couldn't. He wanted to take her home to see Lucy, but couldn't.

Lindsay was trying hard not to shiver and give away that she was conscious again. She felt the water, that had turned cold, rain down on her. The gash she felt on her forehead turning it pink. This she could see because she lay facing the tiled wall. She could also see her knife that lay next to her. It was good to know where it was, in case she got a chance to use it again. She could feel Danny's gaze and wanted to badly to turn to see his face, but couldn't. Not now.

"Where is he?" Tall Red wondered aloud as he all but collapsed on the bench.

"Maybe he ran into trouble." Short Red suggested. "The cops knew we were coming. No telling how many of us they've caught already."

"Get her." Tall Red said, referring to Stella. Tall Red looked confused at the instruction. "We're getting out of here, and she's going with us."

Short Red did as he was told and released Stella from the towel bar.

Tall Red, was sat at the end of the bench, holding a blood-stained towel to the knife would in his shoulder.

"You sure about this?" Short Red asked as he re-cuffed Stella's hands behind her back.

"Hell, yeah. I've got a lot of deals in the works for all that speed, once we get out of here." Tall Red bragged.

"The only speed you need to be concerned with right now, is the 0.42 seconds it would take for my bullet to get from the barrel to that wall over there, leaving a trail of your brains in between." Angell said in a cool tone, as she pressed her gun to the side of Tall Red's head.

Tall Red froze. They hadn't heard anyone come onto the locker room. He took a deep breath to calm himself and try to regain the upper hand. "Welcome to the party, cop." He said, trying to sound cool.

"Party's over." Angell said. "Un-cuff her." She ordered Short Red.

"Well, ya see, cop. That can't happen. Because, my friend over there has a gun, too." Tall Red said in a smug tone.

Angell straddled the bench right behind Big Red and said, "Well, ya see, punk. This is one of those cases where size really does matter,... because I've got a 45 he's only got a 38, which takes 0.78 seconds, and that 0.36 second difference means that I can drop you and use your body as a shield before he can even get a shot off." She said, sliding up closer to him, her left hand gripping his hair and forcing his head back, her right hand still pressing a gun to his head. "So if you're so interested in speed, why don't you think about how fast your brains will be on the wall."

Tall Red thought only for a moment, then nodded silently to Short Red.

"Now way, man." Short Red replied, "Blue will be back any second. We'll have her outnumbered." He whined.

Angell shook her head, "Blue ain't comin' back." She informed them.

"Yes he i-" Short Red began.

"No. He's not." Angell insisted, cutting him off. "He lied to you. Told you he was going to the morgue for the pick-up, but he didn't. He headed for the roof, where he and his own homeys intercepted the package."

"You're lying." Tall Red seethed within her grip.

"He never had any intention of partnering with you. The Blues intercepted the package, then fled down the roof ladder." Angell informed them.

"You're lying!" Short Red yelled, as if it would change the truth.

"Really? 'Cause I was just thinking how nice it was of them to leave the roof door open for me." Angell said, then paused before continuing quietly to Tall Red, "How do you think I got in here?" She knew he was the one calling the shots. His counterpart obviously following his lead. Yes, he had the gun, but he was a follower.

Tall Red sighed heavily. She was telling the truth, he realized that. They had been taken for a ride by their new-found colleagues in crime. He hesitated, then finally, "Let her go." He said reluctantly.

Short Red tossed the gun, watching it slide across the shower floor and stop under the spray of water, before removing the cuffs that held Stella's hands behind her, which she turned around and used on him. Then Angell cuffed Tall Red. Just as she heard the click of the cuffs, the door burst open and two gang members with blue bandannas rushing in.

"Hurry up, man. We gotta find a way outta he-" Big Blue said, before realizing what they'd just walked in to.

Skinny Blue was taking in the scene before him, not saying a word.

"Oh shit. This isn't over." Angell mumbled to herself.

FAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFA

Yes, it's another 'to be continued'! This story will wrap up in the next chapter that will lead into the "Hammer Down" episode.

Just a few notes before I go...

First off... Don't shoot me! I wasn't trying to be mean to Lindsay. Honest. I know she was threatened by the guy with the knife in the dumpster in a previous chapter and I hadn't originally intended to do this whole SWAT/Gang/Locker room scenario so soon, but it just worked out that way. You'll just have to wait till the next chapter to find out what happens to Lindsay.

As for the gun stats... yeah, I just made those up. 'Cause I have absolutely no idea how long it takes a bullet to leave the guns barrel, enter a human skull, pass through the skull, exit the skull, and end up embedded in a wall. But it sounded pretty cool, didn't it? Okay, maybe it sounded better when Angell said it.

As for the term 'speed' being a street name for cocaine... I asked a friend who is a chemist because I have absolutely no knowledge of that kind of thing. I only knew 'speed' was a drug term from watching too much tv in the 70's.

Be on the look-out for frequent updates to this "Flangellized" story.  
I've got several more chapters ready, as I am trying to get to the Christmas story/episode in time.


	6. Front Page

I hope you read chapter 5 because this one picks up right where it left off, and will conclude at the very beginning of the crossover episode "Hammer Down".

Lucy will show up in this one, so as a reminder, I'm sticking to a truer timeline for her age - about 6 months old, which means she is sitting up on her own now, eating baby food, and teething.

My new characters for this chapter; SWAT member Pruet Gang members: Tall Red, Short Red, Blue, Big Blue, Skinny Blue

My returning characters for this chapter:  
SWAT team leader Lieutenant Jose Diaz and his side-kick Bradley

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
BASED ON "HAMMER DOWN"  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Oh shit, this isn't over." Angell mumbled to herself. But before she could get off the bench and get herself turned around to face them with her gun drawn, Big Blue was on top of her.

Skinny Blue had quickly charged at Stella, who was unarmed, so they ended up in a fist fight. But Stella wasn't above using her feet, too, so she planted one of her boots right in his gut. This sent Skinny Blue stumbling to the tiled floor of the shower area.

Angell quickly realized just how big and heavy Big Blue really was and drew the only weapon she could get to at the moment. Fortunately it was another 45, which caused him to freeze when she stuck it in his face and told him to freeze. He was still leaning over her, but wasn't about to move. The look on her face told him she meant business.

Stella's arm hurt as she rolled across the tile floor. She'd done her damage to Skinny Blue, hence the blood coming from his nose, but at the moment he was getting to his feet faster that she could.

Lindsay's movements to this point has been very minimal, unnoticed even, as she still lay with her back to everyone. She'd already slid the knife over and had it ready. She was just waiting for the right moment, this moment. With Skinny Blue standing right behind her, struggling to get to his feet, she swung her body around full force, sinking the knife into the back of his right calf. As Skinny Blue screamed, he turned and bent down to see what had caused his pain. But the only thing he saw was Lindsay's right boot about to collide with his jaw. Lights out.

A few minutes later Angell, Stella, and Lindsay had all four perps cuffed to the bench. They weren't going anywhere, except for jail. Angell was then on her radio to SWAT again, first hearing confirmation from Bradley that Blue and his homeys she'd seen on the roof had all been apprehended and were in custody. Then she confirmed with him her current situation, location, and requested a medic down there for Lindsay and, oh yeah, a couple of perps with knife wounds.

Angell then made her way to Flack and unlocked the cuffs that confined him to the towel bar. Once released, he immediately buried his hand in her hair and pulled her close to him. Both breathed a sigh of relief that this ordeal was over, and he still thought she was the most gorgeous thing he'd ever seen in a Kevlar.

Lindsay wiped blood from her face as she forced her sore body towards Danny. She leaned heavily against him as she unlocked the cuffs that kept his arms from her. Once released, his embrace offered her the support she needed to keep from sliding down the wall, and he wasn't about to let her go any time soon.

Stella ignored the throbbing in her hand as she unlocked the cuffs on Mac. The look of pain on her face did not go unnoticed by him and once free, he immediately pulled her close and buried his face in her curls, being careful not to hurt her shoulder. His feelings of relief were so intense, he didn't bother with words.

After several moments, Adam spoke up, "I don't suppose you all could pause this little cuddlefest long enough to unlock the rest of us, could ya?" He tried to jokingly ask, as he and Hawkes watched their three male colleagues embrace the women who had probably just saved all their lives.

"Sure, Adam." Stella replied with a slight laugh as she reluctantly moved away from Mac. She released Adam from his cuffs as Angell released Hawkes, just as SWAT arrived.

As SWAT flooded the room, Flack couldn't tear his eyes away from Angell. He just watched as she communicated with them via efficient hand signals, most of which he understood. No verbal reply came from them, just immediate response to the situation. 'Damn, that eighty pounds really does look good on her.' He thought as he ignored the hustle all around him.

As they all emerged from the Crime Lab's locer room SWAT Commander Lieutenant Diaz was in the lead, escorting Short Red. Angell followed, escoring Tall Red. Then came Lindsay, escorting a limping Skinny Blue. Then Stella, escorting Big Blue. Flack, Danny, Mac, Hawkes, and Adam all brought up the rear as they finally exited the building and were all nearly blinded by the flashes from the media's cameras that awaited their appearance.

THE NEXT DAY...

"Guess we know why the media nearly blinded us last night." Danny said as he took in the newspaper's headline, while feeding Lucy.

"Uh, Danny." Lindsay said, trying to get his attention.

"Huh?" He replied, finally looking up.

"Unless you want to give her another bath, I suggest you get the food in her mouth." Lindsay instructed as she closed the refrigerator.

Six month old Lucy Messer was in her high chair, one of her little hands grasped a teething ring while the other reached for the spoon in her daddy's hand because it was nowhere near her mouth. Danny was supposed to be feeding Lucy, but was so engrossed in the front page article and photo about the gangs invading the NYPD and Crime Lab that he was not paying attention and getting more food in his daughter's hair than in her mouth.

Twenty minutes later there was a knock at the door. "That's probably Flack and Angell." Lindsay called from the bedroom. They were doing a brunch together at the Messer apartment since all but Angell had the late shift.

"I got it." Danny answered, as he finished washing Lucy's face and removed her from the high chair.

"Hey, Danno." Flack greeted as he entered the Messer apartment with several newspapers in his hand.

"You buy out the news stand, buddy?" Danny teased.

"Found several copies on my doorstep this morning. Nice picture of Diaz and the ladies doing the perp walk." He replied, setting down the papers.

"It was an interesting read." Lindsay began as she entered the room, "But at this point, I'd just like to forget all about it." She added.

"I hear ya." Angell, who had walked in right behind Flack, added. "I had a stack of those things on my doorstep, too. Not that I'll need the extras, because my dad's probably bought out every news stand in Jersey."

"How's the head, Linds?" Flack asked, noticing the bruising on her face and sure there was a knot or two on her head hidden by hair.

"They feel about as good as they look." She answered.

"I brought croissants and a fruit plate." Angell said, sensing an uneasy tone in Lindsay's voice and assuming she didn't want to talk about it. It was a safe bet that Danny had been in hover-mode all night.

"Great. Thanks." Lindsay replied, taking them from her. "You two want coffee?" She offered as she headed for the kitchen.

"I'm good." Angell said, declining the offer.

"I'll take some, Linds." Flack said, "What smells so good?"

"I've got a breakfast casserole in the oven." She answered.

"A what?" He asked.

"Potatoes, ham, eggs, cheese. You'll like it. Danny's mom used to make it every Sunday morning." Lindsay informed him as she returned with an extra cup of coffee which she handed to Flack.

The four of them were seated around the living room with espressos after they'd eaten. Lucy was up from her morning nap and currently having fun poking Flack's nose.

"So, Angell, Flack tells me you're thinking about moving." Danny inquired, tossing Lucy's favorite stuffed toy over to Flack.

"Oh, just thinking about it. It'd be nice to have something closer to work, but I'll probably just stay where I am." Angell said with a shrug.

"Ow." Flack suddenly said, extracting his finger from Lucy's grip. "She's got teeth in there."

"Two of 'em. That's why she's drooling so much." Lindsay informed him.

"Yeah, be careful. She'll chew on anything she can get in her mouth." Danny teased.

Right then three phones went off. Danny, Lindsay, and Flack each answered.

"Dispatch says we're needed early, at the scene of an eighteen wheeler." Danny announced, watching Lindsay nod that she'd gotten the same message.

"According to the officer on scene, that's probably because it's got a dead body in it." Flack informed them.

"You go on ahead. Tell Mac I'll join you as soon as the sitter gets here." Lindsay stated, taking Lucy from Flack.

"But that means taking two veh-" Danny began.

"If you wanna go ahead, Lindsay, I can stay here with Lucy until the sitter arrives." Angell offered.

"Hey, that'd be great." Danny said.

"Are you sure?" Lindsay asked, grateful for the offer but not wanting to take advantage of her friend.

"Sure. It won't be for long. And with you all leaving early, I was just going home anyway." Angell replied.

A few minutes later Flack stood in the doorway of the Messers apartment, pausing to take in the scene before him; his girlfriend sitting on the couch holding little Lucy. He continued on his way, a smile on his face as his mind held onto that image, and he wondered what the future would hold for them.

FAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFA

Just a few notes before I go...

As a consolation for all you Lindsay-fans out there, I made sure she helped Angell and Stella kick some ass there at the end. Woo-hoo, the ladies rule,... and don't think the guys didn't notice, too!

Look for frequent updates on this story. I've got several chapters ready, as I am trying to get the Christmas stories posted in time.

Please make my muse happy and leave a review before you go!


	7. Chapter 7

This chapter is based on "Cuckoo's Nest", so here's a recap of that episode; the Compass Killer's vic fell from the 59th Street Bridge, Flack goes missing and gets beat up on the subway and Terrance rescues him, Danny is without his cane and goes looking for Flack, Flack tries to confess to Mac about killing Simon Cade.

This episode needs some serious Flangellization!

**BASED ON "CUCKOO'S NEST"**

"Murder-suicide, with a twist." Stella informs Mac as he approaches.

"Why is Angell doing the interview? I thought Flack was on today." Mac asked Stella as they stood on the boat's deck in the shadow of the 59th Street Bridge.

"He is." Stella stated. "I'm not sure why she's here instead of him." She added with a slight shrug.

Angell looked up and saw Hawkes very far above her, up on the bridge. She knew he was gathering evidence on the vic that had fallen from there. Then she noticed Mac and Stella talking, gesturing towards her, and knew they were wondering where Flack was. She walked over.

"Hey, guys." She greeted, causing them to look towards her. "I have no idea where he is either." She stated honestly and assuming their question.

"Not that we're not glad you're here-" Mac began.

Angell held up a hand to stop him, "I'd like to know where he is, too." She stated, just a hint of concern in her voice.

"You don't know either?" Stella asked in surprise. She figured if anyone would know where Flack is, it would be Angell. Stella was a good detective, and although Flack and Angell had not gone public with their relationship, she was pretty sure she had it figured out.

Angell shook her head, "We were supposed to meet for breakfast. He didn't show up and isn't answering his phone."

TWO HOURS LATER...

"Lookin' good there, Danny." Stella stated at seeing him walk through the lab's doors without the aid of a cane. He still bore a slight limp that she wondered if he would always have.

"I'm back." He proudly announced with a clap of his hands before their phones rang.

Stella looked at her caller I.D., "Sid."

Danny looked at his caller I.D., "Mac."

"You jinxt it." Both stated to the other as Stella departed with her phone to her ear.

"What's up Mac?" Danny asked.

"You seen Flack?" Mac inquired.

"No. Angell's right, he's not answering his cell." Danny said.

"Head over to his apartment and check it out." Mac instructed.

Angell watched from the docks as Hawkes flipped himself over the side of the NYPD's Port Control boat. She felt like she was wasting her time there when she should be out looking for her boyfriend. It was so unlike him to stay out of contact like this and she was getting more than just a little worried. Her phone rang.

"Angell" She answered.

"Hey, Angell. It's Danny. I'm here at Flack's apartment. No sign of him." Danny informed her.

"Check his front closet." Angell instructed.

"Already did." Danny informed her. "I just got off the phone with Mac and that was the first thing he had me do."

Angell released a heavy sigh after hanging up. She wasn't sure if she was glad to know his gun was at his place or worried that he was unarmed. Her phone rang again.

"Angell." She answered. "Terrance? Terrance who?"

Two minutes later... "Mac." Angell said when he answered, "I know where Flack is." She began, relief obvious in her tone. Then she explained how Flack had been jumped by two gang bangers on the subway as he was on his way to meet her for breakfast and one of his former confidential informants had found him.

"So, he's at Terrance's place now?" Mac inquired.

"Yeah. Terrance says he's pretty beat up." Angell relayed. "I'm heading over there-"

"I'll handle it." Mac stated, cutting her off. "While I'm off dealing with this, I need you and Stella to stay on top of this case."

"Right." Was Angell's kurt reply before hanging up.

Mac could tell Angell was ticked off at him for insisting he be the one to go check on Flack. But he'd been noticing something about Flack lately that bothered him and thought this might be a good time to find out what was going on. His phone rang again.

"Mac, Adam just finished with Flack's phone triangulation." Stella informed him. "Here's the address..."

"I already called your lady friend." Terrance informed Flack after he came to. "Bathroom's over there, if you wanna get cleaned up before she gets here and sees you like that."

Flack agreed and thanked Terrance before heading to the bathroom as a knock was heard at the door.

"Yo, Terrance, this has been fun and all, but you should probably get some new friends. Your boys are like walking parole violations." Flack called out from the bathroom as he wiped blood from his face. He'd seen the two punks who'd come to the door, but he was unarmed, and now was not the best time to get involved in something that would surely turn ugly and the last thing he needed right now was another beat-down. "What's the matter? Did I hurt your feelings?" He added, but got no response. "Did you get sensitive all of the sudden?" He asked before peeking out the door to see Mac standing there.

"I ain't trying to have no cop convention up in here." Terrance stated. "So I'd appreciate it if you went out the back way." He added before leaving.

Flack leaned back in the chair and rubbed his hands over his eyes. "You had us all pretty worried." He heard Mac say.

"Not as worried as I was when I saw those two thugs on the subway and was unarmed." Flack stated.

"You're lucky you weren't hurt worse." Mac stated, then Flack lifted up his shirt, showing him the mass of bruises covering his rib cage. "That's gotta hurt." He deadpanned and watched Flack nod.

"Let's get out of here." Flack said. "Where's my phone? I need to call Jess."

"You can call her from the car." Mac stated, taking a seat across from him. "I'd like to talk to you about something before we leave." Mac said. He wanted to talk to Flack now, so they could be face-to-face. He always preferred talking to people that way.

"Yeah. Sure." Flack stated quietly, wondering if something was wrong. "What is it, Mac?"

"I've noticed lately that something's been... off, with you." Mac began, not sure he'd said that quite the way he wanted to. "Is there something wrong? Is there something..." Mac paused to find the right word to use, but Flack held up a hand to stop him.

Flack nodded, "Yeah." He said quietly, looking down.

"You can talk to me about anything. Anything at all. You know that, Don." Mac stated in a reasuring and supportive tone.

Flack took a deep breath. "Something's been eating at me, Mac." He began, but paused, "When Angell was shot and almost killed, all I wanted to do was make it right."

"We did that. Justice was served." Mac reminded him.

"But,... you weren't there, Mac. You weren't there in that basement with me and Simon Cade. I stood over him, I saw the bandage on his shoulder and knew it was from the bullet Jess put in him. I looked him in the eyes." Flack rambled, anger in his tone and eyes.

"You did what you had to do, Don." Mac said. "He went for his gun. You had no choice."

Flack knew that. That he had no choice when Cade reached for his gun. "I know." He stated, looking down again. "But, I'm not supposed to be glad it turned out that way."

Mac looked at him in surprise.

"That's the part that's been bugging me, Mac." Flack said, leaning forward in his chair. "I was... glad... when Cade reached for his gun. I was glad when he decided to go for it, when he gave me a reason."

Mac let out a heavy sigh and leaned back in his chair. The truth was, he envied Flack in a way. When Claire had been taken from him there was nothing he could do about it. No one he could retaliate against. He just had to accept it and move on with is life. But Flack was lucky, well, in a way. At least he had the opportunity to get justice for the woman he loved. Mac would never have that. "No, Don. You're not supposed to be glad about it. But I understand why you are." He finally stated as he slowly rose from his seat. "Now let's get out of here."

Flack nodded in agreement and slid his gun back in it's ankle holster. He felt better after talking - no, confessing - to Mac. It felt good to get it off his chest. He'd never been able to tell Angell, because he didn't want to risk her feeling any guilt. Not that she should. But he wasn't willing to risk it. She'd already been through so much. He'd always known he had no choice in the matter, in shooting Simon Cade, that was a given, but it had bothered him how it made him feel. He decided right then that only time would change that, and in the meantime, he was lucky the love of his life had survived... and right now, he needed to go see her.

FAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFA

This episode is so much better now that it's been Flangellized. As you can see, I made a few changes. Actually, regarding the ending, I'm not sure if it's a 'change' or not, because you could only see Flack when he pulled the trigger on Simon Cade, but I didn't like the way they made it even appear like Flack could have murdered Cade out of revenge, so I made sure it was a justafiable kill.

The next chapter will be based on "Manhattenhedge". The Compass Killer will be found in time for everyone to enjoy Thanksgiving.

Please leave a review before you go. Thanks!


	8. Thanksgiving

This chapter is based off "Manhattanhenge", so here's a recap of that episode; the Compass Killer's underground home is discovered, Danny and Flack chase perp through tunnel, ends up chasing down the wrong guy whom Danny gives his coat to, team discovers who Hollis Eckhart is, Hawkes explains 'Manhattenhedge', Mac finds perp at Lincoln Center where he plans on killing himself, Mac and Flack chase and catch Eckhart who starts hallucinating about Caliope, Mac talks to him about Claire and into surrendering, gathering at Italian restaurant at the end.

But, as you know, this episode is about to be Flangellized, and since it originally aired Nov. 25th, it will include Thanksgiving.

My character for this chapter; Richard Kullmorgan

**BASED ON "MANHATTANHENGE"**

Angell stood at the entrance to the alley, watching as Danny gave his coat to the homeless man, a slight smile on her face. 'He's got more than just his sea legs back' she thought to herself.

"Why don't I take his statement while you two keep on the Compass Killers trail." She suggested as she approached. Danny and Flack agreed and were soon gone, looking for another lead.

The statement didn't take long and Angell was soon back at her desk typing up the report. She looked up to see Chebouski walking a man over to her. "Detective Angell, this is Mr. Kullmorgan. He says he's got information about a murder he'd like to discuss with someone." Chebouski informed her.

"Have a seat, Mr. Kullmorgan." Angell instructed as she gestured to Chebouski that it was okay for him to leave. "Now, what's this about a murder?"

LATER...

Angell stopped her car and ran up to the intersection. She wanted to watch the Manhattanhenge because it was quite fascinating, but at the moment Mac and Flack were trying to talk Hollis Eckhart down. She had her gun drawn, blending in with the street cops who surrounded the scene and kept the public back. She listened as Mac talked about Claire and it made her sad.

"There's nothing left for me here." She heard Eckhart say and noticed a strange expression on Flack's face. She made a mental note to ask him about it later.

"Thought you were pulled off on another case." Flack stated as he approached. Hollis Eckhart now being hauled away in cuffs for booking, then surely on his way to the mental hospital.

"I was." She informed him. "Was just driving back to the precinct and decided to see if you needed any help."

"Now that this case is over, we're all heading out to dinner to celebrate." Flack stated. "Might be a bit crowded, but at least we get to have dinner together tonight." He added.

Angell nodded. Their schedules hadn't allowed much alone time for such things lately, so she'd take whatever she could get. "I'll meet you there." She said with a smile, then continued on her way back to the precinct.

LATER THAT NIGHT...

"Angell, you're just in time." Hawkes called out as Stella was about to make a toast.

"Sorry I'm late, guys." She said, taking off her coat and hanging it on the back of her seat next to Flack.

Everyone held up their glass as Stella continued, "Life is fleeting and we should hold onto the people we love while we can." She said, thinking of Caliope Eckhart.

"Cheers." Rang out around the table as everyone agreed with the sentiment. As Angell raised her glass, she noticed Flack stiffen as if tense. Another mental note, she told herself.

"So, Angell," Lindsay began, pulling Angell from her thoughts. "I heard you were pulled off on another case today. Did someone really walk into the precinct and confess to a murder?"

"Not quite." Angell answered. "This lawyer, a Richard Kullmorgan, had an elderly client who passed away. So, the lawyer is in possession of an envelope that, in accordance with his client's will, is to be given to the client's friend. Only it turns out the client's friend had also recently passed away. So, since the friend had no living relatives to give the envelope to, and it should therefor be destroyed, Mr. Kullmorgan's curiosity got the best of him and he unsealed it."

"What as in it?" Adam asked, his curiosity obviously peaked.

"A confession." Angell announced.

"A murder confession?" Lindsay asked as she rubbed Danny's back.

Angell nodded. "Yep. Turns out the client's friend had murdered the client's son many years ago, and the client knew it. Wanted his friend to know that even thought it couldn't be proven at the time, he knew he'd done it... and he wanted him to know he'd forgiven him."

"Wouldn't it have been better to have told him that face-to-face instead of in a letter after he's dead?" Hawkes asked out loud to no one in particular.

"Yes, face-to-face talks are usually better, when given the chance." Mac stated with a sideways glance at Flack.

"What's bothering you, Don?" Angell asked in a concerned and gentle tone as they were walking away from the restaurant. Of course Flack tried to play dumb and Angell called him on it. "I saw your reaction this morning in the street with Eckhart. Then I saw the same reaction again when Stella was toasting." She stopped, forcing him to turn and face her. She placed her hand on his arm, "Talk to me, Don."

He sighed and looked away, an almost embarrassed look on his face. "It's you." He finally stated, which took her by surprise. "It's your face I saw when I was in the diner with Marcia Vasquez. It's you I was thinking about when Hollis Eckhart was talking about loosing Caliope. It's you I was thinking about when Stella was-"

"Don't remember me that way, Don." She said, then turned them around so she could stand up on a step, making them close to eye level. "Please, don't remember me that way. I didn't die, Don. I'm here,... with you,... right now. And that's what matters." He couldn't find the words to respond and she could see his blue eyes welling up. "Right?" She asked, trying to encourage him to talk to her.

He just nodded. Knowing he should have talked to her about this a long time ago. She shouldn't have had to pry this out of him and now he was slightly embarrassed. Embarrassed that it had come to this and that he hadn't been able to deal with it better. He wasn't sure if he was letter her down, or himself and suddenly he was grateful she hadn't ever spent the night at his place so she'd never see him jerk awake from nightmares he still had. "Right." He finally managed to agree.

"When you think of me,..." She paused, cupping his face, "remember this." She finished, pulling him in for a kiss.

Flack's arms wrapped around her waist as her arms were around his shoulders. The kiss deepened and they weren't sure how long they stayed there on the street like that. But when they finally moved on, Flack felt a lot better, especially after assuring Angell that he'd never keep anything from her again.

THURSDAY...

"Your mom really disappointed, isn't she?" Angell asked Flack as they drove to her dad's house for Thanksgiving dinner.

"She says she's not, but she hides it well." Flack answered her honestly, then looked over to see Angell's expression, "Hey, don't worry about it, Jess. My parents understand how divided we feel and are okay with us stopping by tomorrow to have turkey sandwiches with them."

"I know." She said with a sigh. "I just wish we could be in two places at once and make everyone happy."

Flack squeezed her hand before bringing it to his lips to kiss the back of it, which made her smile.

"Dad,... we're here." Angell called out as they entered.

"Oh, Jessica, it's so good to see you. It's about time you two got here." Mrs. Flack greeted as she came around the corner.

"Mom?" Flack said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Mrs. Flack tried to answer, but suddenly there were several others converging on the foyer to greet Flack and Angell, and it seemed they were all talking at once.

Angell seemed accosted by several people all at once, most of them attempting to talk to her at the same time. Yet the one thing she wanted to know, she had yet to be able to hear the answer to. She put two fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly. She let out a sigh, enjoying the sudden silence, and said, "Hello, Mrs. Flack. Although it's nice to see you, too, Don and I still aren't sure why you're here."

"It's simple." Mr. Flack began, taking over explaining. "We called your dad. Told him you two shouldn't have to feel divided over where and who to spend Thanksgiving with."

"Well, actually, they invited us over to their house for dinner." Mr. Angell interjected. "But, after discussing it, we ended up inviting them here instead."

"It really did work out better this way. This house is much larger than ours, and you definitely have a large family, Jessica." Mrs. Flack said.

"Shhh. Everyone stay quiet. I need to savor this moment with my brother speechless." Sam teased, then laughed, causing others to laugh as well.

Flack looked up at her voice but did not reply. Actually, he really was rather speechless at the moment.

"Well, come on in. No need standing here at the door." Mr. Angell instructed, gesturing with a wave to everyone.

Flack and Angell shed their coats and followed everyone into the living room which was quite crowded. Angell's brother Jared was there with his wife Madeleine and their son Dominique, Jacob was there with his wife Jenna, Joshua was there, and of course her father and his girlfriend Sherri. Add in Mr. & Mrs. Flack, and Sam, and the house was already very full before Don & Jess had arrived.

"Wow, that's a lot of food." Several people commented as they began gathering around the large dinner table.

"I had to get the extra table leaves out of the attic." Mr. Angell said. "But that's okay, I like a full table." He added with a smile.

After saying Grace the food began being passed around the table as Sherri commented, "I always do a ham, but Ruth does a turkey. I do potatoes and gravy, she always does yams. She baked an apple pie, she bake pumpkin. So the menu worked out quiet well by combining our dinners like this."

"So, Mom,... we still get turkey sandwiches tomorrow,... right?" Flack asked his mother with a slight nod, hoping for an affirmative answer to his inquiry, and causing everyone around the table to laugh.

By the end of that evening it was obvious to everyone that this one holiday, this one dinner, was the beginning of merging two families and their traditions... into one.

**FAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFA**

The next two chapters will include Christmas.  
Please leave a review before you go. Thanks!


	9. Christmas Eve

I wrote this story last year as a one-shot with the idea that Flack & Angell would have been dating for a while, hence it being their 2nd Christmas together, and hence the original title.

I was pleasantly surprised to see how close it fits into the timeline of my current Flangellization of season 6. The opening scene works so well with the elaborate penthouse in the "Death House" episode. So I'm recycling this story by updating it a bit and giving it a new name.

******* "Flangell Bells, Flangell Bells, Flangell All The Way" *******

Background, part 1:  
Detective Don Flack has no idea what to get his girlfriend Detective Jessica Angell for Christmas, until...

"You can stare at it all you want, Jessica. But it won't change the fact that there are no fingerprints or clues on that fireplace." Stella said to the seemingly mesmerized Detective Angell.

"Yeah, I know." Angell replied, breaking loose with a smile.

"So what's so interesting about this fireplace?" Stella asked.

"Well, it's not just this fireplace. There's just something about fireplaces in general that I like. You know what I mean? They're just so warm and cozy. My dad has one at his house and I just love to see it in the winter. Did you ever have an apartment with a fireplace, Stell?" Angell asked.

"A fireplace? In a New York apartment? Are you serious?" Stella asked quite surprised. "Do you have any idea how much that would cost? Have you any idea how much this place must cost?" She asked as both detectives again surveyed the beautiful features and furnishings in the old but elaborate and elegant penthouse.

"You'd have to be pretty rich to live here, that's for sure. Sam Harding must have been one very wealthy man." Angell said as she ran her fingers over the carved mantle. "Oh well, at least the 'other half' get to enjoy the amenties." She added as both detectives knowingly smiled.

Then came a "Boom!" from the other room. "I found it" added Danny as Stella & Angell headed his direction.

Background, part 2:  
Detective Jessica Angell has no idea what to get her boyfriend Detective Don Flack for Christmas, until...

"Um, that's it?" Angell tentatively asks Flack as she put her gloves & keys on the table next to it.

"Yep. That's all that was left. Well, that's all that was left that didn't smell like charred mold." He replies giving her that 'oh well' look of his.

"Oh." She responds simpatheticly. "I'm sorry, Don. Did the manager find out how the fire started?" she asks, touching one of the few tiny ornaments on the Charlie-Brown-like table-top sized tree.

"Yeah," he begins as he takes her coat, "Something electrical. At least it was confined to the storage area of the basement. Could have been worse. Well, actually it was worse for some. All I lost were my Christmas decorations and some old clothes."

"True." she agrees, "So, time to get new decorations?"

"Nah" he mumbles, shaking his head.

"But, Don, you love Christmas. I though you were looking forward to decorating the place up for your parents' visit" She says surprised.

"True. I mean, yeah, I was. But, found out I'll be up in Albany testifying on that case and may not even be able to get back till Christmas Eve." Flack says, heading for the couch and gesturing for Jess to follow, "I told my folks it would probably be best if we were all at their house again this year, but they still insist on coming here. Decorations or not."

T'was now just 2 days before Christmas...

"Yeah, sweetheart. I'm sorry. Looks like the Lieutenant was right about this trial dragging out." Flack said nervously. He wasn't used to lying to Jessica, but didn't want her to know he was heading back in just a few hours.

"It's an important case, Don. It was a huge bust and... well,... " Angell trailed off, trying not to sound dissapointed at Don's delayed return from Albany.

"We'll still get to be together on Christmas day, I promise." He assured her.

"I know, Don." She replied, trying to sound sweet.

"I miss you." He said with a sigh.

"I miss you, too. Call me when you're headed back. Oh, and drive safe, there's a huge snow storm headed this way." She instructed.

"Will do" he assured her before hanging up. Of course, that would also have to be a lie as he knew he'd be home long before any snow storm would hit.

After gettin off the phone...

"I got it, Danny!" Flack announced.

"Good. That's good, buddy." Danny responds to his obviously excited friend.

"She's gonna just flip when she sees this." Flack assures his friend.

"Um, how big is this thing anyway?" Danny asks. "We gonna be able to get this thing up the stairs and into her apartment okay?"

"Well, the box is kinda big. But with the two of us, we can manage. I'll call ya when I'm almost to her apartment, so you can meet me there." Flack says.

"Wait a sec, Flack,... what if she's there?" Danny asks, wondering if all his buddy's planning will work.

"Nah. Not a chance. My sister Sam has asked her to help with something her AA group is doing. We'll have a least 2 hours to get this thing set up." Flack informs him.

"Sam? You sure about this?" Danny asks.

"Yeah, Danny. I tell ya, she's got it covered. There's no way Jess is gonna be there util at least 7:00." Flack insists.

"Okay. I hope you're right. Listen, I gotta go before Lindsay hears me. Don't want her talking to Angell and giving anything away." Danny says.

"Right, Danno. I'll call ya tomorrow." Flack hangs up, feeling confindent about his plan.

Also, after getting off the phone...

"I got it, Sam!" Angell says, obviously excited.

"This is gonna be fun!" Replies Sam to the excited Detective.

"He is just gonna flip when he walks through that door." Angell says with confidence.

"So, how big is this thing anyway?" Sam asks, "We gonna be able to get this thing up the stairs and into his apartment okay?"

"Sure. I mean, yeah, it's kinda big, but with the two of us we can manage." Angell assures her.

"Wait a sec, what if he comes back?" Asks Sam, hoping everything Angell has planned will work out.

"Not a chance. He's stuck up in Albany and won't be back till at least 7:00. That gives us a good 2 hours, once we get to his apartment." Angell assures her.

"What now?" Asks Sam.

"How soon can you meet me at the store? We've got to get everything else picked out." Angell asks.

"I'll be there in twenty." Sam replies.

Christmas Eve at Angell's apartment...

"Oof!" Danny grunts out.

"You okay there, Danno?" Flack asks.

"Yeah, buddy." Danny manages to reply. "Just keep this thing movin'."

"We're almost there." Assures Flack. "Just one more flight of stairs to go."

"Hey, how come I got the heavy end?" Danny asks.

"That would be because I'm smarter than you are." Flack assures his friend.

"Very funny. Just don't drop your end." Replies Danny with another attempt at adjusting the heavy box in his arms for better leverage.

Twenty minutes later Flack & Danny had made it up to the 5th floor and set the large box down outside Angell's door so they can catch their breath.

"So, the super meetin' us here or what?" Danny asks, wondering how they are going to actually get into her apartment.

"Not necessary." Flack states as he digs out his keys. "She gave me one for 'emergency purposes'." He says, holding a specific key, "And I'd say surprising her for Christmas is in 'emergency', wouldn't you?"

"Absolutely." Danny agreed, knowing how much effort his friend has put into surprising his girlfriend.

Meanwhile at Flack's apartment...

"Oh my gosh, Jessica, this thing's heavy." Sam complains.

"Sorry, Sam. I had no idea it wouldn't fit in the elevator." Replies Angell. "But we're almost there."

"Guess I shouldn't complain. Getting to participate in something that will make my big brother speechless for once is gonna be worth it." Sam said as she hefted her end up again.

Soon they were outside Flacks apartment door and Angell was digging for her keys.

"Ooooh, should I even ask why you have a key to my brother's apartment?" Asked Sam with a slight giggle.

"Um, yeah, the manager loaned me one." Angell said, trying not to blush. She and Flack weren't sleeping together, but that was none of his sister's business, that was for sure.

"Loaned? He just loaned you a key?... Because you're a cop?" Teased Sam, obviously not buying a word of it and looking for another response from her brother's girlfriend.

But Angell offered no reply because she had unlocked the door by that point and was gesturing for Sam to pick up her end again.

Back at Angell's apartment...

"I can't believe we gotta put this thing together." Danny whined.

"Danno, listen,... I appreciate your help... I really do... but would you please stop complaining and help me figure out what goes into slot-G." Flack said while handing him the instructions so he can grab his phone to call Jess.

Back at Flack's apartment...

"Sure, Don. Yeah, you're right, it's gonna be late. Besides, we're really not done here anyway, so we'll just go ahead with our plans to see each other tomorrow." Angell hangs up the phone, pleased that Don is on his way back from Albany right on schedule.

"I still can't believe you talked me into blue." Angell said, shaking her head.

"He's gonna love it. Trust me." Sam assured her, spreading everything they would need out on the table.

"Okay, let's get started." Angell said.

At Angell's apartment...

"So what does Lindsay think you're doing right now?" Flack asks as he now searches for part M.

Danny looks up, "What? You think I'd blow our cover?"

"No, of course not. Hey, found it." He says picking up part M.

"She was getting quite curious about my sudden need to go buy toothpaste, so I finally just told her the truth." Danny says with a straight face without raising his eyes from the instructions.

"You what?" Screeches Flack. "Danny, seriously, how could..."

"Chill, bud." Danny says calmly, but Flack is not amused. "I simply told her 'Sorry, Dear, but it's just a little too close to Christmas for you to be asking questions'."

Flack relaxes, knowing his friend would have been careful not to do anything to ruin the surprise he had for Jess.

"I got ya coverd, man." smiles Danny, handing over another part.

"Thanks, Danny. I really appreciate your help with this. Otherwise, I'd be here all night trying to put this thing together by myself." Flack said.

"Well, 'all night' we don't got, so let's get this thing finished." Danny said.

At Flack's apartment...

"So what does Don think we're doing right now anyway." Asks Angell. "Something with your AA group, right?"

"Yeah, in one of the meetings we got to talking about how important it is to learn to be a giver instead of a taker. You know, because of the lies we tell to cover our drinking." Sam explains. Angell just nods as she continues. "Well, some of them decided to get together and serve meals at the Mission tonight. We already had this planned so I didn't sign up, but decided it would make for a good cover if we needed it."

"Which we don't,...because Don got stuck in Albany." Jessica said with a smile.

"Hey, this is coming together nice, Jessica." Sam says with a very pleased look on her face as they near completion.

At Angell's apartment...

"Danny... she's just gonna love it. I know it. I never could have pulled this off without your help." Says Flack as he extends his hand.

"No problem, Don. Glad I could lend a hand." Says Danny, accepting the handshake. "I'll get all this cardboard and packing gathered up if you wanna move things back where they belong."

"Sounds good. We gotta get outta here before Jess comes home." Flack said, looking at his watch.

At Flack's apartment...

"Okay, I'll admit that the blue is growing on me." Angell admits.

"Told ya!" Sam gloats. "This looks great." she adds.

"Thanks for all your help, Sam. I appreciate it." Angell says, knowing it was a bonding experience of sorts between her and Don's sister.

"Oh wow, look at the time." Sam warns.

"We gotta get this place finished. I'll get the boxes out of here if you'll move the table and lamps back." Suggests Angell.

Outside Angell's apartment...

"Thanks Danny. You want a ride home?" Flack offers.

"What? You're not gonna stay here and see the look on Angell's face when she gets home?" Danny asks.

"Actually,..." Flack pauses to ponder, "No. No, I think I'm gonna stick to my plan and let her find it alone."

"Okay. In that case, sure, I'll take that ride." Danny says.

Flack takes Danny home, then heads back to his apartment to wait to hear from his girlfriend.

Outside Flack's apartment...

"I can't believe you're not gonna stick around to see the look on Don's face when he walks in." Sam says.

"No, I kinda want him to find it alone. If you're right about everything we picked out, I think it should be one of those special moments I want him to just take in and ponder... know what I mean?" Angell asks.

"Yeah." Sam says with a very serious look. "But I'd still like to see it for myself." she adds, breaking into a smile.

"Well, you're not gonna." says Angell with half a laugh. "Now get in the car."

Angell takes Sam home, then heads back to her apartment to wait for a call from her boyfriend.

Angell arrives at her apartment...

Angell was glad to be home just ahead of the storm. It had been a long and busy day and she was looking forward to putting her feet up with a hot cup of tea. She walks in the door and places her keyes and phone on the table where she notices a little box. It was all gift wrapped with red ribbon and a bow, but there's no name on it. She slips off the bow and removes the lid. It's a remote. "Well, no way to figure out what this is for except to find the 'on' button." She does, but nothing happens. "The tv didn't come on, no music came on, no... wait a minute. What,...what is that?" She walks around the corner... "Oh my gosh!" She says out loud, dashing back to her phone.

At Flack's apartment...

Flack had just knocked the snow off his shoes and entered the building when his phone sang out a familiar tune indicating a message from Jess... "I LOVE IT!" This brought a huge smile to his face as he headed for the stairs. A minute later he flings his apartment door open, tosses his keyes on the counter and reaches for the light. Nothing. 'Hmm. Oh well, I've got extra bulbs here somewhere.' He tells himself and reaches for the other switch. "Ouch!" His knee has just collied with an unfamiliar object. "What the heck? I didn't put that table there." Flack fumbles to get a light on and..."Whoa!" He can't believe what he's seeing. It's just so much to take in as he surveys the room, then grabs his phone.

"Hi, Don." Angell answers very sweetly.

"How did you know? Who told you about the blue?" Flack asks her.

"Sam." She answers.

"Sam?" He repeated, obviously surprised.

"Yes. Sam." She repeated.

"I can't believe you snuck in here and did all this." Flack says, rubbing his fingers thru his hair, still a bit flustered.

"You can't believe...? What about me? When did you do this? How did you get it in here?" Angell asks about her own surprise.

Flack & Angell come clean to each other. She learns that he was in Albany, but only for one day, and he learns that she wasn't helping serve meals with his sister. They laugh at how hard it was to lie to each other, even for a good cause, and surely they would have each seen right through the other's lie if they hadn't been trying to cover their own tracks.

"How did you know, Don?" She asks him.

Flack reminded Jess of the elaborate old penthouse with the fireplace that fascinated her. "I was there, across the room from you and Stella, remember? I was paying attention." He also reminded her that she'd once told him how she used to get hot chocolate and curl up in her dad's big chair in front of their fireplace when she was little and it would snow. "I just wish, Jess, that I was rich, so I could buy us a fancy apartment like that one, with a real fireplace in it."

"Oh, Don, riches can't buy the kind of thoughtfulness you've just shown me." Jess said as she ran her fingers across the mantle.

"Me? You're the one who broke into my place and turned it into a Christmas Wonderland!" He gushed.

"Yeah, well, I could tell how disappointed you were after losing all the decorations your mother had given you. And, yes, Sam told me the story about the 'blue tree'." Angell said, adding a smirk at the end.

"Don't laugh, that was a cool tree." Flack said in mock defense.

Sam had told Angell about the year their mom put up a flocked tree with all white lights and brand new ornaments and garland all in blue. She was so excited to show Mr. Flack and their kids, but none of them liked it. Well, no one but Don. He thought it was the best looking tree he'd ever seen, something his siblings still teased him about on an annual basis. Then of course there was the train that went around the tree skirt. Angell and Sam had done their best to duplicate as many of Flack's childhood Christmas memories as they could in those decorations. From the blue tree and the train, to the candy canes they'd stuffed in the stockings hung across the breakfast bar, lights around all the windows, pillows shaped like Santa heads on the sofa, pepperment-scented candles just waiting to be lit, glittery snowflakes & icicles hung from the ceiling, Shepherds surrounded a nativity scene set up on the coffee table, and of course a plate of Christmas cookies on the side table for Santa.

"Um, what happened to my lights?" Flack finally thought to ask.

Angell laughed, taking a moment to be pleased that she'd thought to take out the lightbulb in his lamp so he would have to head for the switch she rigged to turn on all the Christmas lights.

Don & Jessica went on and on about their surprises for each other, as the snow built up outside. The fact that they had each spent their day trying to keep the other from finding out what they were doing, was now keeping them apart. After they got off the phone, Angell made hot chocolate and curled up in front of her cozy new electric fireplace while Flack ate Christmas cookies and watched the multi-colored lights flashed around his windows as the train circled underneath his blue Christmas tree. Because of the storm they wouldn't get to see each other till tomorrow on Christmas day, but that's okay,...they each knew how the other felt about them, and that was possibly the best gift they could have given each other.

**FAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFA**

Actually, I was tempted to just use this story for the Christmas episode "Second Chances", but I already have my idea for that chapter, so you'll actually be getting two Christmas stories out of me. This one for Christmas Eve & the other for Chrstmas day.

My muse is hoping to find reviews in her Christmas stocking, so play Santa and leave one before you go!

Merry Christmas, everyone... and remember Jesus is the reason for the season!


	10. Christmas

First off, thank you for the kind reviews of chapter 9 "Flangell Bells, Flangell Bells, Flangell All The Way".

Just an FYI - I had corrected a few mistakes, changed the layout so it was easier to read, then ran a spell check... but, I forgot to hit the 'save' button, so none of that did any good. My bad!  
If you had trouble reading it, or gave up trying to read it, I just wanted you to know I've gone back and made those corrections, again, but so far am having trouble replacing the previous posting. I'll keep trying.

So, now that you've read the re-write of my previous one-shot story, which I altered for the "Death House" episode and my time line, now it's time for what I originally had in mind for my Christmas story.

I am usually a stickler for my own timeline details, so I wanted to clarify that although the previous chapter was about Christmas Eve and this story begins on Christmas Eve,... it is not a continuation.

******* FROM THE CHRISTMAS EPISODE "SECOND CHANCES" *******

CHRISTMAS EVE...

"It's a good thing you're here instead of Flack." Stella stated as she and Angell walked up to the wreath clad door. They were at the townhouse to interview an elderly woman who had known the suspect. "This lady has like a zillion cats."

Angell nodded, "That's exactly why I'm here." She said, then watched Stella arch a brow.

"Flack is supposed to be here. Isn't he?" Stella asked before she knocked on the door.

Angell just nodded as the door opened.

MEANWHILE...

"What's wrong, Patterson?" Flack asked his fellow Detective, taking a seat on the edge of his desk.

"Oh, just wondering what to get my wife for Christmas." Patterson answered.

"Um, you haven't got your wife anything for Christmas yet?" Flack asked in disbelief. "It's Christmas Eve, Patterson." He reminded him unnecessarily.

"Well,... no. Not yet." Patterson said with a helpless look on his face. "And I know it's Christmas Eve, but it just sort of,... snuck up on me this year." He attempted to justify.

"Snuck up on you?" Flack deadpaned. "Christmas snuck up on you?" He asked, then paused, "Tell me, Patterson, when is your birthday?"

"June 12th." Patterson answered, not understanding the relevance.

"June 12th." Flack confirmed and watched him nod. "What day was your birthday on last year?"

"Um, June 12th." Patterson answered again.

"And the year before that?" Flack inquired.

"June 12th, of course. Where are you going with this, Flack?" Patterson asked, totally perplexed.

"Just making sure your birthday is on the same day every year." Flack answered, a slight teasing tone entering his voice. "Because mine is, too. In fact, everyone has their birthday on the same day every year." Flack answered.

"What does that have to do with my still needing a gift for my wife?" Patterson asked, still clueless at this point.

"Well, you see, Patterson," Flack paused, leaning in slightly closer as if about to tell a secret, "Christ's birthday comes on the same day every year, too." Flack leaned away again with a nod, then slowly stood as a look of realization finally came to Patterson's face. He could hear Chebouski laughing as he headed back to his desk.

"Flack?" Lieutenant Sythe called out. "You have those DD5's ready yet?"

"I'll get on 'em as soon as I get back, sir." Flack responded as he pulled on his coat. The sooner he got this interview wrapped up and turned in his paperwork, the sooner he could begin his two days off. "I'm heading out to interv-" His words died out as he noticed Sythe silently shaking his head.

"I sent Angell to do it." Sythe stated.

"But, sir, she's supposed to be off the clock by now." Flack said, looking at his watch.

"I know. But she offered." Sythe answered, seeing a puzzled expression on Flack's face. "Trust me. It's in your best interest that she went instead of you." Sythe paused, then sighed, he could tell Flack was going to continue pressing the issue. "This lady she is interviewing knows the suspect because he works at the vet's office she's at frequently because she has lots and lots and lots of... cats."

Flack leaned back in his chair, letting his mind whirl around what his girlfriend had done. She was supposed to be off by now because she had plans. Tonight, just like every other Christmas Eve, she and her friends Kate Panner and Susan Gerber were to get together for dinner and exchange gifts. The three of them always pushed family obligations to Christmas day so they could be together. And now... now Angell is missing out on her evening with Kate and Susan because she took the interview he should be doing right now. An interview that would reek havoc on his allergies and leave him sneezing and miserable, probably through the next day.

Flack was currently using the stack of paperwork on his desk as a distraction. His mind had a tendency to drift back to what Angell had done, so the extra concentration it took to stay focused on the DD5's was actually quite helpful. The fact that he could get the papers cleared away faster than they could re-accumulate in his in-box was a bonus. In fact, he was so deep in concentration he almost didn't hear his name being called.

"Don." Mr. Angell said for the third time.

"Hey, Mr. Angell." Flack greeted as the man approached his desk.

"Have you seen Jessica?" Her father inquired.

"She's out on a case right now." Flack informed him, then noticed the disappointed look on his face. "Something I can help you with?" He offered.

"Nah." Mr. Angell replied with a shrug. "I knew it was a long shot anyway. Oh, by the way, I took care of that thing you asked me to do." He added.

Flack wasn't going to let him change the subject just yet, "Thanks. I'm sure she's going to be really surprised. But,... you seem disappointed Jess isn't here."

Mr. Angell let out a heavy sigh, then explained. "For years, my late wife would have have our family get all dressed up and go see the Nutcracker on Christmas day. She always claimed it was the only time she could get Jessica in a dress and get a picture to prove it." He said, as the idea of tomboy Jessica in a dress made both men laugh. "I've got this one photo album with nothing in it but pictures from Christmas after Christmas of our family going to the Nutcracker. The only year we didn't go was the year my wife died." He paused again, needing a moment to compose himself at the memory of losing his wife. "I called Jessica last week to find out if she was going to be able to make it this year, but she said she was scheduled to work, but would inquire about getting it off. Neither one of us was surprised she was scheduled to work since she doesn't have as much seniority as other detectives here, but I was just hoping that if I stopped by she might have some good news for me."

Flack thought for a moment, "Um, give me a minute. I'll go check the schedule and see if any changes have been made." He said, then walked over to Sythe's office thinking about the two days off he was about to begin.

"DD5's already finished?" Sythe teased without looking up from the papers on his desk. "You must be anxious for those two days off."

"Actually, sir, that's what I wanted to talk to you about." Flack began.

A few minutes later Flack walked back over to his girlfriend's father who was busy catching up with some of the other detectives he knew. "Good news." He said as he approached. "Jess has tomorrow off."

LATE THAT NIGHT...

"It was very sweet of you, Don, but you know you didn't have to do that." Angell said to her boyfriend over the phone after she arrived back at the precinct, referring to him covering her shift the following day so she could go to the Nutcracker with her family.

"And you didn't have to go interview the Cat Lady for me, but you did." Flack reminded her, in an obviously teasing tone.

Angell smiled. "Well it was either that or listen to you sneeze and complain, so in a way I did have to." She teased.

Flack laughed at the truth of her words. "How many cats did she have?" He inquired.

"Oh, geez." Angell groaned, "At least a dozen. I lost count. Let's just say it's a good thing we didn't cross paths afterwards, because I'm so covered in cat hair now... I'd probably make you sneeze."

"Well, I can't be allergic to my girlfriend, so I guess you're right about that." Flack insisted.

"Did you at least get out of here in time to make it to Christmas Eve Mass with your folks?" Angell asked.

"I'm on my way there right now." Flack informed her.

CHRISTMAS DAY...

"Family traditions are important, Jess." Flack said, as he and Angell talked via phone as she and her family were on their way to see the Nutcracker.

"I know. And I'm grateful for my family and our tradition. I just wish I could be with you, too." Angell said, wishing at the moment for some privacy as she talked in the back seat of her brother's car.

"Yeah." Flack sighed. "I wish we could be together, too."

"Of course, we might have squeezed some time in, if you hadn't taken my shift." Angell teased.

Flack laughed, knowing she was teasing, then paused before saying, "Well, think of this as my Christmas present to your mother." He said, remembering Mr. Angell's words about this being something their family continued in her memory.

"Yeah." Angell said, with a deep breath. "She'd like that, Don."

"You know what I'd like?" Flack asked, but got no response from her. "To get to see a photo of you in that dress tonight."

Angell laughed. "Okay, okay, I suppose it's the least I could do."

"Did you get a really special dress like I requested?" He asked.

"Black satin and lace _'special'_enough for you?" Angell asked almost cautiously.

"Sounds perfect." Flack answered.

"Perfect for what, exactly?" Angell inquired, sensing that something was up.

"Oh, let's just say that there will be a need for that dress again very soon." He stated.

"Don, you know I don't do dresses. I'm only wearing one right now for the sake of family tradition and to humor my father." She insisted.

"I know." Was all Flack would say for right now and Angell knew he wouldn't tell her more until he was ready.

"So, tell me about this crazy case you had today." She requested in order to change the topic. "I talked to Stella earlier. She mentioned something about two women taking in homeless men and pampering them before they're murdered."

"Yeah. It was all really sick, and all for an insurance scam." Flack said, "It gave me great pleasure to walk Debbie Fallon past the interrogation room we had Grace Chandler in. The look of realization on her face was priceless."

"Well, Don, we're here at the theater. I've gotta go now." Angell informed him.

"Yeah, I gotta go, too. Santa's sleight broke down on the Expressway so we're scrambling for a substitute Santa right now." He explained.

"Try Detective Cooper over at the 11th. He always plays Santa for them." Angell suggested. "Well, you be a good little elf tonight, and I'll see you tomorrow." She said.

"I love you, sweetheart. Have fun tonight." Flack said before hanging up.

LATER THAT EVENING...

"Cheese!" The whole Angell clan said as their picture was taken.

"I promised Don I'd send him a copy." Angell said to her father.

"You can e-mail it to him when we get back to the house." He suggested.

"Yeah, but presents first." her brother Joshua said as if he was still a little kid. "Now come on, let's go."

Angell and her brothers shed their coats and shoes just inside the door of their family home as their father turned on only the Christmas lights, giving the living room a warm and wonderful glow. Angell walked in and immediately noticed a familiar piece of furniture in the corner. She walked over to it.

"He called me." Her father said, walking up behind her, causing her to turn and face him. "Don called me, after you'd seen it in the antique store. He asked me if I could pick it up for him and store it here." Her father explained, then watched his daughter turned to face the antique secretary again and run her fingers across the beautiful woodwork. "He knew you wanted it." He could hear the catch in her voice as she attempted to speak. "He said to tell you to open the top drawer." He informed her, knowing she would not turn around because she was afraid of crying.

Angell pulled at the lovely brass handle that slid the top drawer open and pulled out a CD case with a note taped to it. She opened it: _'Call me later, when you are alone.'_ was all it said. She put the CD back in the drawer and slid it closed. She stood there silently for a moment as her hand automatically returned to tracing the carved detail, as she thought back to the day they did some antique shopping on their way to her father's house. She had wanted to purchase the secretary then, but needed to save her money for Flack's Christmas present.

MEANWHILE...

Flack was happy to have helped pass out presents to the kids, but he was glad to finally be out of that silly elf costume. As he headed for his car he stifled a smile as he remembered Mac and Stella sharing a moment, and he swore they were so close their lips almost touched. Not that he usually paid attention to such things, but for some reason he couldn't help but notice those two tonight. Well, anyway, it was late now and he was looking forward to getting home. "Hey, Flack!" He heard and turned around to see Cooper, still dressed as Santa, jogging up to him. He gave him a nod as he approached. "Here, Flack. I've got one more."

"Uh, Cooper,... I'm not in costume anymore." Flack said, indicating his current attire. "You'll have to see if Messer or someone is still in there." He suggested.

Cooper shook his head. "This one is for you." He stated, handing over the present to the confused looking Flack. "Someone must think you've been very good this year." He teased with a wink before quickly departing.

Flack stood there for a moment with the large box in his hands, still very surprised and for some reason not quite sure what to do. He eyed the shiny silver paper and the large red bow, then decided to open it at home.

Once at home, Flack couldn't take it any more and tore at the paper that concealed his gift. He slid the lid off and was surprised to see the coat he'd tried on at the suit shop months prior when he and Angell done some shopping on their way to her dad's house. He had wanted to buy the coat then, but needed to save his money for her Christmas present. He lift the coat out of the box and tried it on, still as warm and comfortable as he remembered it. He slid his hands into the pockets and discovered a note. It read: _'Call me when you find this note.'_

"What's on the CD?" Angell asked a few minutes later as they talked on the phone. They weren't going to get to be together for Christmas, and this was as close as they could get.

"Are you alone right now?" He asked, laying back on his bed, his feet hanging over the edge.

"Yes, I'm in my room alone." She answered, curious what he had in mind.

"Put the CD in the player first." He instructed, and could hear her doing so. "Now, press play and close your eyes, Jess." She pushed play and laid back on the bed with her eyes closed and heard the music start. "May I have this dance?" She heard him ask.

She smiled. "Of course." She answered as she kept her eyes closed and imagined him extending his hand to her on a dance floor as the lyrics to Calling All Angels by Train filled the room.

_I need a sign to let me know you're here _  
_All of these lines are being crossed over the atmosphere _  
_I need to know that things are gonna look up _  
_'Cause I feel us drowning in a sea spilled from a cup_

_When there is no place safe and no safe place to put my head _  
_When you feel the world shake from the words that are said_

_And I'm calling all angels  
I'm calling all you angels_

_I won't give up if you don't give up _  
_I won't give up if you don't give up _  
_I won't give up if you don't give up _  
_I won't give up if you don't give up_

_I need a sign to let me know you're here _  
_'Cause my TV set just keeps it all from being clear _  
_I want a reason for the way things have to be _  
_I need a hand to help build up some kind of hope inside of me_

_And I'm calling all angels  
I'm calling all you angels_

_When children have to play inside so they don't disappear _  
_And private eyes solve marriage lies cause we don't talk for years _  
_And football teams are kissing Queens and losing sight of having dreams _  
_In a world that what we want is only what we want until it's ours_

_And I'm calling all angels  
I'm calling all you angels_

_Calling all you angels_

With her eyes still closed, Angell let out a deep relaxing breath as the music faded, knowing he felt the same way she did at this very moment. "Merry Christmas, Don."

"Merry Christmas, Jess."

**FAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFA**

I had hoped to have this posted by Christmas day, but my muse caught a head cold, which I suppose is better than getting coal in the stocking, but it still didn't help matters.

If you are reading my stories in order, as I always suggest, then you should remember the antique secretary and coat from my previous story  
"2 Be Contiued".

I was actually happy to have Flack happy about hauling Debbie Fallon off to jail because Kim Kardashian should be arrested for bad acting and being allowed on the show in the first place.

As for Angell's dress, think of the one Julia Roberts wore in Pretty Woman, minus the choker because I didn't like that part. As Flack told Angell, there is a reason he wanted her to get a special dress. You will find out about that in the next chapter.

I decided a long time ago to use Train's song "Calling All Angels" which LacyTheDemonicDuck also used in her recent song fic by the same title. I hope you will read it, if you haven't already.


	11. Winter Ball

This chapter includes the NYPD's annual Winter Ball, a fundraiser for families of officers who have died in the line of duty. Local hotels, restaurants, and florists all vie for the privelage of donating their goods and services for this event, as it is well publicised. Funds raised from from ticket sales provide college scholarships to children of fallen officers.

***** INCLUDES THE EPISODE "CRIMINAL JUSTICE" *****

'What a day.' Flack thought to himself as he released a heavy sigh and leaned against the wall of the elevator that was taking him to his apartment. He was tired, but grateful the perp had been caught, and even more grateful Lieutenant Sythe had sent him home early. Well, 'early' was a relative term in this case, since he'd actually worked late, throught the night in fact, and 'early' now meant early morning.

He opened the door to his apartment, surprised the living room drapes were still drawn. Angell had moved in with him only last weekend, but it hadn't taken him long to figure a few things about her, the kind of things you don't notice until you actually live with somene, like the fact that even though she wasn't exactly a morning person she did like to open the drapes first thing when she got up. But it was obvious she wasn't home right now and he was headed to bed for as many hours of sleep as possible, so he would leave them closed for now.

He headed straight for the bedroom, but paused with his hand on the door knob at hearing a noise coming from the other side of the door. Maybe she was home after all, maybe since she wasn't up yet, she might like to stay in bed a little longer. He smiled at the thought as he slowly opened the door, but his smile immeditately fell as an expression of shocked took over his handsome face. Right there, in his own bed, was the woman he loved... with another man.

THE NEXT DAY...

The scene was, well, 'awkward' was the general consesnus. The apartment was just a one room studio with a door to the bathroom and one to a closet, otherwise everything was in that one room, including the bed the dead couple was in. But that wasn't the 'awkward' part, no that would be because all the covers were on the floor, leaving the naked couple that had obviously been too wrapped up in their lovemaking to notice a killer,... well, let's just say that if they had only known they were about to die, they wouldn't have kicked all the covers onto the floor.

Flack and Angell stood just inside the door, their backs towards the dead couple. Officers were stationed at each end of the hallway to keep neighbors and those that were just nosey or those just wanting to gawk as far away as possible.

"I just wish we could cover them up." Angell stated, keeping her back to them. "Give them some,... dignity, at least."

"Yeah, me, too. But it could disturb evidence." Flack said, also keeping his back to them.

"Hey, Don,... everything okay?" Angell asked, since they had time to kill while waiting for a CSI to show up.

"Um, yeah. I'm fine." He answered. She nodded, not believing him. "You're not buying that, are you?" He finally asked, then watched as she just shook her head. He took a deep breath and was about to speak when Messer and Monroe showed up.

"Whoa!" Messer stated as soon as he stood in the apartment's doorway and suddenly got a glimpse of the dead couple. Of course it didn't help that their feet were towards the doorway, giving a full view of the dead husband's dariar.

"Oh geez." Monroe mumbled, "No wonder the officers are stationed clear down at the ends of the hall." She added, as Flack and Angell moved aside to let them enter.

"I guess the first photo I take should be of the smile on his face. What a way to go." Messer lightly teased.

"Danny." Monroe said with a glare to shush her husband.

"Well, ya gotta admit that if they'd at least heard the perp coming, they would have, ya know,... stopped." Danny justafied with a smirk.

"Let's just get the bodies process first, so they can be removed." Monroe said.

"Fine. I'll take the stab wounds on the husband's back, since he's on top. And you can take the wife's slit throat." Danny suggested.

"Poor lady. Trapped underneath her dead husband like that while the killer pulls out a knife." Linday stated as she opened her kit.

Flack and Angell were grateful for the CSI's arrival, so they could exit the crime scene. They waited out in the hall while it was processed.

"So, you ready to tell me now?" Angell asked after several minutes.

Flack looked around, making sure they had privacy before answering, "It's just that, ... I had this weird dream last night."

Angell shrugged after it became aparent that was all he was going to say, "That's it? That's all you're going to tell me?" She asked.

He started to continue, but Adam and Sid were arriving. "Hey, guys." Flack greeted them.

"So, I hear we have a copulating couple waiting for us." Sid stated.

Adam suddenly looked up, "What? Mac didn't say anything about that! He just told me to hitch a ride with you so I could help process a scene."

"Come with me, Adam." Sid said, putting an arm around the young man's shoulder and leading him into the room, "Now, I'm going to grab one of his ankles and you're going to grab the other one, and together we're going to pull until-"

Flack and Angell had to hold back a laugh as Adam bolted back out of the room. "That's not funny, Sid." Adam sternley stated with nothing short of a glare at the M.E. They could also hear Monroe and Messer laughing from inside the apartment.

Sid followed Adam back out into the hallway. "You know I'm kidding. Right? Because, technically, once blood flow stops it would be impossible for a man to maintain an-"

Flack and Angell walked away as Sid attempted to make Adam's face a darker crimson. From just the sounds of Adam's reaction, Sid had succeeded. He was very good at giving explinations and telling stories with such a straight face and they both felt sorry for Adam.

"Let's go see if any more neighbor's have come home since we canvassed the first time." Angell said, "Then I want to hear about that dream of yours."

AN HOUR LATER...

"I was what?" Angell demanded once they were in the car. "With who?"

"I don't know with who." Flack informed her. "In my dream, I just walked in on you two... in my bed." He took in the shocked and hurt look on her face. "I'm sorry, Jess. It was just a dream."

"Yeah, but where did it come from?" She asked, "Dreams can have meanings, Don. Does this mean you actually think I'd cheat on you?"

"I love you, Jess." He stated, taking hold of her hand, "And I know you love me, too. And, no, I don't think that. I didn't mean for some stupid dream to hurt you like this."

"And I suppose if it hadn't been for that crime scene that bothered you so much, I probably wouldn't know about your dream at all." She said, now understanding why he couldn't wait to leave the scene.

He looked down at their hands, their fingers now laced together. He didn't really want to tell her, to admit it to her, but he knew their relationship must be based on honesty. "You know how you were always leary about men who are a 'Dutch' or a '3'?" He looked up to see her nod, "Well, I've always been leary about women who cheat."

"Who was she?" Angell asked, needing to know the whole story.

Flack took a deep breath, "Our relationship is based on lots of things, Jess, including honesty. Before I met you, I was one of those '3' kinda guys. Lots of shallow, meaningless relationships, usually ending after the third date. Mostly because I was not wanting to get too attached to anyone who might... who might cheat on me." He paused, wanting to choose his words carefully. "Her name was Rachel. She was the only other woman I've ever really, really cared for, besides you of course. I thought we had a great thing going between us, until I came home early one day and found her in bed with another man."

"Trust is an important thing." Angell said, tightening her grip on his hand. "And I'm gonna trust you to tell me when something is bothering you." She added, now touching the side of his face.

LATE THAT NIGHT...

Flack and Messer could hear the loud music before even walking into the bar, but to feel the pulsing rhythm of the music that nearly synchronised with their own heart beats as soon as they entered was nearly overwhelming for some reason and suddenly all their senses were on edge.

Both men stopped just inside the door and surveyed the room. Flack, with an obvious height advantage, spotted the two they were looking for first. Messer noticed his countenance change and saw the nod of his head. Following his line of sight to the far edge of the dance floor, he spotted them, too.

Before they'd even put a foot forward to head that direction, two men had already made their way over to the far edge of the dance floor, attempting to converse with their targets. Much to Flack and Messer's satisfaction, the two men had quickly been sent away.

With verbal communication almost impossible in such a loud environment, Flack used hand signals to suggest a route to Messer. Messer however disagreed and suggested a different approach. They decided to split up; Flack going left, Messer going straight across, both headed their respective directions, hoping to reach their destination before anyone else could get involved. The dance floor was crowded and therefor their view at least partially obscured at all times, but there were definitely two more men approached their targets. Each watched as, once again, the men quickly departed.

Their splitting up proving unnecessary as they both reached their destination at nearly the same time, just as the two women they were trying to reach turned to see them. Flack smiled, taking in Angell's appearance. Her dark chocolate eyes were like mirrors reflecting the colored lights above them while her brown curls bounced in rhythm over her shoulders. She wore black skinny jeans tucked into black stiletto boots and a deep red tank top with a sequined trim around the neckline. She hadn't broken her rhythm, but instead waited for him to come to her as Seal's song "Amazing" began to play.

Nearly an hour later the four of them nodded gratefully to the waitress as she set down a pitcher of ice water next to their other drinks. They had been dancing non-stop and were all parched, so alcohol was not what they needed. They'd found a booth near the back where it was a little quieter, but conversation was still difficult, so as soon as they'd rested a bit, they were back out on the dance floor.

"We love being at home with Lucy in the evenings, but it sure is nice to get out like this." Monroe said to Angell as they walked together, just ahead of the guys. They had danced for hours and were now walking the three blocks to a diner for some late night food.

"Nice to see that Danny's got his 'sea legs' and his 'dancing legs' back." Angell said with a smile.

Monroe nodded in agreement and sighed, "I haven't danced like that since...well, since we went dancing with you and Don long before Lucy was born. Club Z, I think it was."

"Don and I go there as often as we can. After a long day at our stressful jobs, it's nice to just get lost in the music and forget about all the crap we deal with." Angell said as she checked for traffic so they could cross the street, their men still trailing right behind them.

"And it's great exercise." Monroe added. "Something I could use more of."

"What? Lucy not crawling fast enough yet?" Angell joked.

Monroe rolled her eyes. "It seems like just yesterday that she figured out how to get up on all fours, and now, her knees just touch the floor and she's gone. But I've still got a few of those baby pounds yet to lose. Have you and Don tried that new club over on-"

She didn't finish at seeing Angell shake her head, "No. We usually stick to Club Z because it's away from the precinct area. Little chance of seeing anyone we know."

"Still trying to keep your relationship under wraps." Monroe stated, as it wasn't really a question. She saw Angell nod instead of answer, but there was also an unusual expression on her face.

THE NEXT DAY...

"What's wrong, Don?" Angell asked as she opened her locker, hoping there wasn't another dream involved in his explanation.

"I was just going to ask you the same thing." Flack stated, closing his. He saw her search her locker for something, but knew she wasn't after anything but avoidance, so he answered first. "The CSI's found planted evidence at a scene." He could tell that got her attention. "Unfortunately, the evidence points to a D.A."

"Oh." She mumbled with a disgusted look. "So, now what?"

"Now, the CSI's keep analyzing evidence and I try to connect the dots." He said, taking a step closer. "Your turn." He added.

She closed her locker, knowing she'd stalled long enough. "It's nothing, Don. I'm just frustrated over something."

Flack started to speak but the door to the locker room could be heard opening as someone entered, so he gave her his 'we'll talk later' nod.

An hour later Angell, Bonasara, and Monroe were at Rob Meyer's apartment. "This table leg has been broken." Bonasara observed.

"And this radio seems out of place." Monroe added.

"I see a dog dish, but no dog." Angell stated.

The clues were adding up as fast as the unanswered questions and a few minutes later the lights were turned out, revealing a blood stain on the floor.

LATE THAT NIGHT...

"Can't say I've ever thought of a snow blower looking 'mean' before." Angell stated as Hawkes and Bonasara both examined the detailed mechanism of the large piece of equipment.

"These teeth can chew up most anything." Hawkes stated.

"Does that include a human?" Angell inquired, slightly cringing at the thought of what could have happened, then watched Bonasara answered with a nod.

THE NEXT EVENING...

'Riiiippp!' Came the distinct sound of velcro being pulled apart, as Messer removed the back brace he'd been wearing all day. "Ah." Came the simple indication of relief as he tossed it aside.

"How long do you think you'll have to wear it?" Monroe inquired of her husband as she picked up Lucy.

"Not sure yet. Just till my back feels better. Hopefully just a few days." He answered, taking a seat on the couch next to her.

"Danny," She began in a gentle tone, placing a hand on his knee as she nursed their daughter. "Are you sure you shouldn't tell Mac about your badge." It wasn't a question. She wasn't quite sure why he felt so responsible for it being taken, after all, he did have it locked up according to protocol.

Before he could think of an answer to satisfy his wife, there was a knock at the door. "Flack and Angell are early." He stated, getting up.

MEANWHILE...

"You've got that look again." Flack stated as he and Angell rode the elevator up to the Messer's apartment.

Angell smirked. "It's nothing, Don. I told you, somethings just been bugging me." She said as they walked down the hall.

"Anything you wanna share?" He inquired, wanting to know, but not wanting to press.

She shook her head in a dismissive gesture. "Nah."

He could tell she was avoiding the topic, so he would drop it. For now.

Messer opened the door to let them into the apartment, then led them over to the kitchen. "Anyone want a beer?" He offered.

"Over here!" Monroe called out from the couch with a wave of her hand.

"Very funny, Montana." Messer deadpanned before turning back to Flack and Angell to see if they wanted a beer.

Flack was obviously confused, looking back and forth between Messer who stood in front of him with a 'well, do you want a beer or not' look on his face and the back of Monroe's head which could be seen over the couch in the living room. "Am I missing something here?" He finally asked.

Angell smirked. "Apparently so, Mr. Oblivious." He sent her a look with an arched brow. "The reason Lindsay can't drink beer is the same reason we're in the kitchen right now instead of in the living room."

The look on Flack's face changed, indicating the light bulb had finally gone on.

"You can come on in, Angell." Lindsay called out, so Angell grabbed a beer from Messer's hand and headed into the living room.

"So how was it playing guinea pig today?" Angell asked, taking a seat in the chair across from Monroe. From there she could see Flack seated at the dining room table, obviously amused at Messer's attempt to properly set the table for dinner and figure out what to do with all the forks his wife had set out.

"Adrenaline rush." Monroe answered with a smile. "Pure adrenaline rush." Angell just nodded, she knew the feeling well. "Someone's getting tired." Monroe stated, looking back down at Lucy and toying with her little feet. "When she pulls her knees up like this, she's almost full and ready for sleep."

LATER...

"You seem to be in a much better mood." Flack stated as he and Angell rode the elevator back down from the Messer's apartment.

"It was a nice evening with Danny and Lindsay." She stated.

"But?" He asked, dragging out the word and knowing there was more to her answer.

"But,..." Angell paused, finally relenting. "It just feels like we're in a bit of a rut." She said, obviously choosing her words carefully.

Flack just nodded at first, taking her words in. "So tell me, this 'rut' we're in,... would that be because we only go dancing at Club Z, because we're afraid someone we know will see us? Or is it because we only dine out at Mazzi's, because we're afraid someone we know will see us? Or its it because only go for drinks at APB or another bar across town, because we're afraid someone we know will see us? Or is it-"

"Okay, okay." Angell said, holding up a hand to stop him. The elevator doors opened and they continue their trek to the car. "Yes. It's because of... well, all those things."

"Ya know, Jess, I'm more than comfortable with our colleagues knowing about us. After all, we're a pretty common topic around the 'ol water cooler regardless." Flack said, lacing his fingers with her's as they continued walking. "There's no protocol against us dating, Jess, so it's strictly a matter of personal preference here."

"You mean my personal preference, don't you." She stated.

"No." He said, halting his steps so she would turn to look at him. "I mean our personal preference. Whatever we decide, we decide together. This effects both of us." He paused, wrapping an arm around her waist. "I love you, Jess... and I'm more than okay with everyone knowing I'm in love with you. But if you're not ready, if either one of us isn't ready, then we aren't ready." He added, tucking a loose curl behind her ear before wrapping a hand around the back of her neck.

Angell felt him pulling her closer and slid her hands up to his shoulders. "Are you sure?" She asked, their foreheads now pressed together.

"Mhmm." He mumbled into her hair with a slight nod, then he pulled back slightly so she could look up at him. She started to speak, but he kissed her before she could.

When they broke for oxygen she looked into his blue eyes, "You're sure?" She asked again.

He smiled back at her, well, it was more of a smirk really. Instead of answering her, he reached into the inner pocket of his coat and pulled out a small black envelope, which he handed to her.

Angell looked at him curiously. She could tell he wanted her to take the envelope, and did. He was sure he heard a slight gasp as she eyed the contents.

In her hands, Angell held two tickets. They were black, embossed with the NYPD in gold and blue. They were for the annual Winter Ball at the Manhattan Ritz, a black tie event of dinner and dancing.

"Um," Flack stammered a bit, "Any chance a gorgeous, funny, lovely, kind, beautiful, kick-ass, drop-dead gorgeous woman like you would wanna be escorted by a plain 'ol guy like me?" He asked, looking more at his feet than at her.

"Kiss me, Handsome." She ordered, and when they broke for oxygen again she asked, "So, is this why you wanted me to get a special dress for the Nutcracker performance?"

Flack smiled, "Told you you'd have more use for it."

TWO WEEKS LATER - THE ANNUAL NYPD WINTER BALL...

Angell glanced around the elegant ball room of the Manhattan Ritz, taking in the environment. The dance floor was shiny, like glass, and she was sure a janitor or two had put in extra time to make it that way for the special occasion. The lights were turned low, but not too low, providing ambiance. Above each round table, that was set with royal blue linens, probably to match the NYPD logo, was a lovely chandelier. The table service, obviously the hotel's best, made like a circular frame for each large floral centerpiece.

The ball room's atmosphere aside, the fact that this was a formal event was evident as most of the men in the room were in tuxes, although a few wore a suit and tie. The women all wore dresses of various lengths.

Angell scanned the large ball room, hoping to spot someone she knew. Flack was delayed due wrapping up a case, so their arriving together was impractical, plus it was necessary for her to secure their seats at one of the tables. This left her to arrive solo and wait for him, but in the meantime, she felt like, well, she wasn't quite sure what she felt like, but something close to a piece of meat came to mind. Of course that could have something to do with the what she was wearing. She wore a black-on-black cocktail dress of lace over silk that cut off just below the knees and slung slightly off her shoulders. Her 5'7" stature made even more impressive by black stiletto heals. She'd worn her hair up, just the way Flack liked it, and she would be glad when it was him staring at her instead of the unwelcome glances she was currently getting. She was used to dressing more professional in front of her colleagues, but this was a special night. It meant a lot to her and Flack to be together this evening.

Her eyes continued to scan the vast space, until... there, she spotted Mac. Wait, how could she have missed seeing Stella first, right next to him. True, Mac was looking quite sharp in his tux, not that she would expect him in anything else, but Stella was quite stunning with her hair up and her long dress did her slim figure justice. Angell thought it was ironic that it was a deep red color, like blood, and began to make her way over to Stella. But then noticed how she hooked her hand on the arm Mac offered her as he led them to the bar. It was obvious that it was a moment not to be interrupted. So she didn't.

"Good evening." A man said to Angell, causing her to turn.

"Good evening." Angell replied with a polite smile.

"Surely a beautiful woman like you isn't here alone." He said.

Angell shook her head, "No, I'm not here alone." And with that the man departed in obvious disappointment.

Just then a distinct laugh caught Angell's attention and she turned to her right to see Lindsay. Lindsay's short hair showed off the Sapphire earrings that matched her long blue dress. Angell watched as Danny's arm slid around her waist and he gestured towards the dance floor. She'd never seen Danny in a tux before and was quite impressed knowing the usually casually dressed detective would surely only put on such formal attire to make his wife happy. She was happy for them, having an evening out like this would be a very special time for them.

"Excuse me." She heard someone say to her. "You seem to be here alone this evening." A man in a tux said to her.

Angell shook her head, "No, I'm not alone this evening." She said.

There was a noise coming from near the door, causing several heads to turn. Wolf whistles, it sounded like. As her line of sight cleared Angell could see Adam entering the ball room. He wasn't wearing a tux, but the classy charcoal grey suit he wore was definitely sharp looking on him and most appropriate for the occasion. And if her detective skills were working, he'd even had a hair cut that looked very good on him. A lovely lady with very long blond hair that hung down her back and wearing a long black dress was on his right arm. And another lovely lady with striking red hair in a chin-length bob and also wearing a long black dress was on his left arm. 'Wow. You go, Adam.' Angell thought to herself as she watched him escort his dates to one of the tables.

"Any chance you'd care to dance?" Angell heard. She turned to see a familiar face, although she couldn't put a name to it at the moment. She politely declined and once again wished that Flack was there.

After taking a seat and saving the one next to her for Flack, Angell watched with great fascination as Sid and his date put on quite the show out on the dance floor. Sid wore a tux and his date wore a lovely emerald green tea-length dress that looked like it was made for dancing as it flared out with every twirl. It was nice to see Sid happy and dating again after his second divorce.

"Hey, Angell." Detective Benton greeted as he and his wife took their seats at the same table.

"Hey, Benton." She greeted in return. "Well, don't you look handsome tonight." She added with a smile to the tux clad detective.

"And you're looking pretty sharp yourself. I don't believe you've met my wife Debbie." Benton said, introducing the two women. "You here alone?" He asked.

Angell shook her head and started to speak, but stopped, as there was a man standing across the table from them who was just staring at her. The three of them looked at him, waiting to see if he was going to manage to spit any words out.

"I was, um,... well, you see." He paused, "Is there any chance... um, that, you would. No,... um, well," Was all he managed to sputter.

'And I always thought Adam was an only child.' Angell thought to herself. "No." She finally said to the man, hoping to put him out of his misery. It worked as he shut his mouth, gave a nervous smile and nod, then departed.

As Benton and his wife headed for the bar, Angell noticed Hawkes, who was looking ever so fine in his tux. It appeared he was introducing his date to Chief Sinclair. She wore her hair up, showing off long silver earrings, and her deep purple dress went so well with her dark skin. Sid had mentioned something about Hawkes getting back together with a former girlfriend. Kara, she was sure her name was Kara. Angell took a step in their direction as Sinclair was excusing himself, but it appeared Hawkes was quite grateful for his departure, as he was now pulling Kara in quite close to himself.

Angell decided to head for the bar instead. She had tomorrow off and had taken a taxi to the ball, so a drink was okay for tonight. But before she got two steps Caine stepped in front of her.

"Well, well, well." He gushed while looking her up and down. "Our little angel is looking quite heavenly this evening." Came his cheesy, sappy, pathetic line, to which Angell just rolled her eyes.

"What do you want, Caine?" Angell said with a straight face void of emotion. "And try to come up with something more intelligent to say this time." She added, obviously annoyed by his presence.

Caine just smiled as he continued to look her up and down. "Your dress looks like the one Julia Robers wore in Pretty Woman." He stated, obviously thinking he was very clever.

Angell had to admit that he was fairly accurate about the dress. "Didn't take you for a chick flick kinda guy, Caine." She said, maintaining a straight face. "Have to admit that explains a few things, though." She added, throwing in a jab to his ego.

Caine tried to act all cool, "Hey, a guy's gotta do what he's gotta do to keep the ladies happy." He countered.

"And that's what you came up with? A chick flick? That's how you keep 'the ladies' happy?" Angell said. He was on her nerves in a bad way right now and she just wanted him to leave. Fortunately she would be able to tune him out easily as a welcome distraction had just walked in the door as Caine continued to ramble on.

MEANWHILE...

Flack glanced around the elegant ball room of the Manhattan Ritz, taking in the enviroment as he searched for Angell. He noticed the dance floor was shiny, the lighting was low, the tables were elegantly set, and everyone was dressed in fine formal attire. He saw Mac and Stella at the bar, they waved a greeting from across the room and he gave a nod in return, hoping that would suffice as he was more interested in finding Angell than in talking with colleagues at the moment. As he continued his visual search he noticed Danny and Lindsay out on the dance floor and he took a moment to be happy for them at having a nice evening out. Then he saw Adam seated with a red haired lady, no, wait, maybe he's with the blond... okay, way to go, Adam. Then a flash of green caught his eye from the dance floor where he saw Sid and his date putting on quite the show and Flack made a mental note that he and Angell should give them a run for their money later in the evening. Kara? Was that Kara Hawkes was introducing to Chief Sinclair? "You here alone?" Flack heard before he could answer his own question and looked up to see Chebouski approaching.

Flack shook his head, "Have you seen Angell?" He answered with a question of his own.

"You must be the only one who hasn't." Chebouski said, gesturing with a nod to her across the room. "I think every single man in here has asked her to dance since she arrived."

"Really?" Flack asked with a slight smirk.

"Really." Chebouski assured him. "Why? You thinking you'll have better luck?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

Flack's only answer was a wordless smile before turning to head across the room. Before even reaching the first table, he'd already noticed a man walk away from Angell with slumped shoulders, and normally he might have felt some sympathy at his obviously being rejected, but that was his girlfriend that he'd hit on, so, no. Then as he neared the half way point he could see Caine approach her and was sure he just saw Angell roll her eyes at him. Her arms were crossed and her posture stiff, and he was sure she wanted to deck him. He quickened his pace to reach her as soon as possible.

MEANWHILE...

"What's that grin for?" Lieutenant Sythe asked as he approached Chebouski.

"Oh, just waiting for the show." Chebouski said before taking a sip from his drink.

"The show? Anything I should know about?" He asked, trying to figure out what the older man was looking at across the room.

"Mhmm. Just watch. You'll see." Was all he said, but indicated to Sythe what he should be looking at.

"Oh, I do see. This is going to be good." Sythe replied, now also with a smirk on his face as they both watched Flack come up behind Caine.

ACROSS THE ROOM...

"They don't talk back, Caine." Flack heard Angell say to Caine as he approached the man from behind.

"Aw, come on, Jessica, you know you wan-" Caine began, but was cut off.

"First off, she is Detective Angell to you, Caine." Flack stated in a firm tone as he came up behind the man, causing him to turn. "Second, her dance card is already full." Flack said, walking past him and extended his arm to Angell. "Ready to hit the dance floor, Jess?" He asked her in a sexy tone and with a twitch of his brow.

Angell's defensive posture suddenly disappeared as she took Flack's offered arm, "I'd love to." She answered with a smile and looking only at him.

"Oh, seriously, Angell." Caine huffed, trying to act all macho. "What's he got that I don't?" He smirked as she started to walk away with Flack, obviously ignoring him.

Flack, who was now between Angell and Caine, turned his head slightly to answer, "The ability to make eye contact, for one thing."

The rest of the evening was, well... purely magical. The music made bodies flow in rhythm across the dance floor, the food was wonderful, the wine was smooth, the smell of flowers mixed with perfume and aftershave was intoxicating, and two people were lost in it all and not caring who was watching them.

FAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFA

I hope you all enjoyed the NYPD's annual Winter Ball. Now that everyone saw Flack and Angell together, there's no more hiding their relationship. Adam is also a favorite character of mine, but he gets so little air time that I decided to give him some extra fun at the ball.

btw- I disagree with several writers who say Flack outranks Angell. They are both 3rd Grade homicide detectives, although he has been with the 12th Precinct longer, which gives him more seniority. I actually talked to a real homicide detective about this and he explained that you'd have to be a 3rd for many years (like 10+) to reach 2nd grade (which is the equivalent of a Sargent), then work towards a 1st grade (which is the equivalent of a Lieutenant). So if Flack was a 1st grade, he'd had Lieutenant Sythe's job and be running the 12th precinct. Just clarifying where I stand on the issue, so my stories make sense from that perspective. If I ever hear it said differently on the show, I will be glad to alter my stories from then.

My next chapter will be include the episode "Flag On The Play". But Angell won't be playing any football because she's sick. Find out what Caine has to say about that and why Flack want's to kill Danny.

Please leave a review before you go. Thanks!


	12. I'm gonna kill Danny!

My thanks to; JessicaFlack, webdlfan & CSI4lyfNCIS13 - who reviewed the previous chapter. I had a few of you going with Flack's dream, didn't I? But obviously it all worked out for the best and our little lovebirds learned even more about each other by working through it, then of course they went to the Winter Ball. Speaking of the ball, we pick up this chapter with Flack and Angell still out on the dance floor...

******* INCLUDES THE EPISODE "FLAG ON THE PLAY" *******

"Those two still haven't parted." Stella comments to Mac as they sit next to each other, taking a break from the dance floor. Mac glances over at Flack and Angell, then smirks a wordless agreement. "Guess all the gossip was true." She adds.

Mac gives her a sideways glance with an arched brown thrown in. "You're not the type to be interested in gossip, Stella." He says before taking a bite of chocolate cake, one of the delicious desserts the wait staff was offering.

"True." Stella says, laying her fork down on her now empty dessert plate, her cheese cake finished. "But in all honesty," She pauses to lean in so only he could hear, "it was kinda nice to have them focused on someone and leave us alone."

Mac gives her a knowing nod, "So does this mean we'll have to be careful or we will now become the focus of gossip, or that we should give them something legitimate to gossip about?" He asks, extending a hand as he rises from his chair.

Stella answers with a wordless smile as she takes his offered hand, and they head back out on the dance floor.

**FAFAFAFAFA**

"You sure we can't trade dance partners?" Sid's date Eloise teases as she and Sid dance next to Flack and Angell.

"Sorry, ma'am, but I'm not letting go till my arms fall off." Flack answers with an obvious teasing tone.

"Should I be insulted?" Sid teasingly asks Eloise, at the idea of her preferring to dance with Flack over him.

"Not at all, Sidney." She assures him. "I just thought you might like a twirl with Miss. Angell to size up the competition. We do have several more songs to out-dance them, you know."

Sid smiles back before giving Eloise another twirl, her emerald green dress flaring.

**FAFAFAFAFA**

"I guess this fits in the 'put up or shut up' category, doesn't it?" Lindsay asks her husband, as they walk off the dance floor.

"Well, I guess if you're gonna annouce you're together, you might as well do it with style... and to everyone all at once." Danny said, directing his wife to the bar.

**FAFAFAFAFA**

"We wanna dance." Adam's red-headed date said to him as she ran her finger along his jaw line.

"Come on, Adam. It's long past dinner and we haven't danced yet." The blond added, turning his face and locking her blue eyes with his.

_'Oh boy.'_ Adam thought to himself. This was the part of the evening he knew he wouldn't be good at. He loved going clubbing, but those were avatar clubs with loud techno music, not fancy ballroom stuff.

"Well, you see, ladies-" He began before both of them stood and each grabbed one of his arms. _'Oh boy!'_ He thought again as both ladies escorted him out onto the dance floor. He wasn't sure how to dance to this kind of music, let alone with two women at once.

The red head, picking up on how nervous Adam had become, said, "See that tall guy over there?" She asked, referring to Flack. Adam nodded. "Just do what he's doing."

He nodded and smiled at her as if answering 'Okay', but to himself he was thinking, _'Yeah, right. Me, anything like Don Flack? Mr. Perfect who is dating Jessica Angell.'_ Adam and his dates had been seated close enough that he heard the conversation between Angell and Caine, and then Flack. He'd heard the watter cooler gossip, and more importantly picked up on the vibes between them, and was happy for them.

**FAFAFAFAFA**

"What are you looking at, Sheldon?" Kara asked, noticing that he seemed slightly distracted as they danced.

"Oh, just happy for some colleagues at the moment." He answered.

She turned to see what he was gesturing at, "That couple over there?" She asked and Hawkes nodded. "I remember meeting him once. When I had to come down to the precinct. Flack. Right?" She asked.

He nodded again, "And that's Detective Angell he's been dancing with all night."

"How long have they been together?" Kara asked.

"I had not idea, until tonight, that they were." He answered.

Kara laughed, "Oh, Sheldon,... you're so oblivious sometimes." She teased, being able to tell by the way Flack was holding Angell that it was not the first time they had danced together.

**FAFAFAFAFA**

Benton, Sythe, and Chebouski all stood at the bar, each waiting for their drink orders to take back to the ladies at their tables. "I never saw it coming." Sythe stated.

"Saw what coming?" Benton asked.

"Flack and Angell." Sythe answered as he looked at them out on the dance floor, Angell now resting her head on Flack's shoulder.

Chebouski was biting his tongue at the moment. Sythe was their Lieutenant, and more importantly a Detective. How on earth could he have missed something so obvious? He looked over at Benton to see if he was going to say anything. It was clear he wasn't. Maybe Benton was thinking the same thing he was. He'd have to ask him later. Fortunately their drink orders arrived, allowing both Benton and Chebouski to depart without having to comment on Sythe's discovery.

**FAFAFAFAFA**

Caine watched from across the room. He'd been sitting there most of the evening, alone. Well, not actually 'alone'. He had plenty of colleagues around him to talk to, but no date. He'd also been out on the dance floor a time or two, but the one woman he really wanted, the one woman he had tried so hard to get, had shut him down. And now,... now she was out there, again, with Flack. He tried not to stare at them, but he couldn't help it. He wanted so desperately for her to be out there with him. For her hand to be draped over his shoulders, for her head to be resting against him, for her warm breath to be felt on his neck. He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to imagine it was him out there with her. How he'd hold her tight and feel her pressed against him. "Cute couple, aren't they?" He heard, a voice breaking into his daze. He looked up to see Officer Miller taking a seat at the table. "I'd heard those two might have something going on." Miller added, and Caine tried not to let his frustration show. He wanted to be out there with Angell, but no, she was with Flack instead.

**FAFAFAFAFA**

Flack pulled Angell closer to himself, yet resisted the urge to pull her even closer. They were in a public place, after all. Her hair smelled like strawberries, which was unusual. She didn't usually do scented shampoo, or scented anything for that matter. One case with a perp claiming she had tried to seduce him via the smell of her perfume had seen to that. She could easily put up with such a thing, but anything that could jeopardize a case was never worth the risk to her. So he enjoyed the rare occasion that called for such simple things as scented shampoo or perfume. He knew they were garnering lots of stares, but didn't care too much. It did feel a bit awkward at times, but he was there with the most beautiful woman in the room and he quickly reminded himself that the men in the room were probably just jealous. Angell looked stunning in her fitted black cocktail dress, with her hair pinned up in curls, and he just loved those black stiletto heels that accentuated her sexy legs... oh yeah, definitely jealous.

Angell did her best to maintain eye contact with Flack as they talked and danced. It seemed that every time she peered over his shoulder or glanced around the room, that every eye was on them. She was surprised at how many of the men from the precinct could be like a gossipy old hens and was sure they would be talking about them for quite a while to come. They definitely needed to get a life of their own. It did feel good to be together out in public and not care who saw them or what they thought, but she didn't feel like being the evening entertainment. Angell closed her eyes and rested her head against Flack, blocking out everyone but the two of them, as if no one else was even there... just her and the man she loved. Of course, the evening would be made perfect if she could arrest whoever invented those damn shoes that were killing her feet.

**SEVERAL DAYS LATER...**

"Lonjre futbl?" Angell repeated, balancing her phone on her shoulder.

"No, Jess. Lingerie Football." Flack clarified.

"Das wat I sad." She attempted to say, dabbing her nose with a tissue.

"I think you need to go back to bed, Jess." He suggested, glad she couldn't see him at the moment or he'd surely be in trouble for mocking her.

"Goo ida." She replied before hanging up the phone.

"That Angell?" Messer inquired as he approached.

"Yeah." Flack answered, putting his cell phone away. "She's still sick, thanks to you, Danny." He added in a cool tone.

"Me? It wasn't me, man." Messer said in a mock defensive tone. "I told you it was Caine. The three of us chased that perp in the pouring rain till we were all soaked to the skin and freezing cold. I was already sick, so I went straight back to the precinct to dry off and change. It was Caine who insisted he and Angell take the perp with them to pick up the brother they were still looking for." Danny explained, again.

"Yeah, well, she ended up staying cold and wet for several more hours and was sick the next day. She couldn't go to Sunday dinner at my folks'." Flack said while checking his notes for the info he knew his friend had come for.

"I bet that didn't go over too well. Your folks love Jess." Messer teased while trying to get a better look at Flack's notebook.

Flack nodded, "True. I swear, Danny, sometimes I think I could just send Jess over there by herself." He said, copying down the numbers Messer needed.

"I'm pretty sure they'd notice you're not being there." Messer replied, taking the paper from Flack. "Now what's really bothering you?"

Flack looked around the bullpen a bit to see who might be listening in. He always believed in 'if you can't say something nice...', but this was really bugging him. "I swear, Danny, Caine probably thought of that chase through the rain more like a wet t-shirt contest than a perp apprehension."

"He still hittin' on Angell?" Messer inquired, keeping his voice low.

"Every chance he gets." Flack answered with a nod, "And every other female in the building, too." He added.

"Angell can handle herself, and will kick his ass if she has to." Messer assured his friend. "In the meantime,... he'd better stay away from Lindsay."

"Speaking of Lindsay, you got her birthday present figured out yet?" Flack asked, putting his notebook away.

Messer shook his head, "No, man. I'm stumped."

"Don't worry, you've still got plenty of time." Flack assured his friend. "Hey, we still on for some basketball later? A little one-on-one?"

"Ahhh, I see how it is. You finally make time for a friend now that your girlfriend is sick and you have to stay away from her." Messer teases as he walks away.

"Shut up, Danny." Flack deadpans.

**SEVERAL HOURS LATER...**

"So, Flack." Patterson says by way of greeting as he stops near his desk, "I hear Angell is sick."

"Mhmm." Flack mumbles in response as he searches his desk for a file.

Patterson waits a moment to see if he will receive additional response, but doesn't. "So, that's kind of interesting timing."

"Huh?" Flack mumbles, still searching for the elusive file.

"I mean,... you two announce that you're together... at the ball,... then she's sick. Ya know." Patterson stumbles out.

Flack straightens up, the elusive file finally in his hand, and looks at Patterson who has a smirk on his face. "What are you talking about, Patterson?" He asks in irritation.

"Well,... it's obvious." He answers, then leans in slightly and lowers his voice. "Angell's pregnant. Right?"

_'Impossible'_ was the first word to come to Flack's mind. "Pregnant?" He repeats.

"Well, yeah. You said she was sick. Morning sickness, duh, de-tec-tive." Patterson said as if explaining something to Flack.

Flack couldn't resist the urge. "Pregnant? That's why she's sick? That's it! I'm gonna kill Danny!" He yells as he throws the file back down on his desk.

Patterson abruptly straighted his posture. "Uh, what?" He asked, now unsure of what was going on and noticing that they were now recieving stares from several in the bullpen.

"Well, you said she's pregnant." Flack stated, not currently caring who was listening, "And obviously you know about these things, since you and your wife had a baby last year."

"Well, yeah, we did." Patterson said, still confused as to how this could have anything to do with Messer. 'Oh geez, did the Mess mess around with Angell?' He wondered to himself.

"I mean," Flack began in obvious animation, "They have been working a lot of cases together recently." He paused for effect and began to pace a little. "But, who knew an ear ache and sore throat could lead to pregnancy? Danny admitted he had it first, but I had no idea he'd been sharing with Angell like that." He paused again and looked at Patterson, "What am I gonna do, Patterson? I mean, now I have to kill Danny, for getting Angell pregnant. Then Danny will be dead, I'll be arrested, and Angell will have to wait nine months for her cold to go away." Flack finished his rant with an exasperated expression directed at Patterson. It had all turned terribly sappy, but he just couldn't help it.

"Very funny, Flack." Patterson said before walking away to the sounds of Benton and Chebouski busting up into laughter.

Flack shook his head in exasperation as he let out a heavy sigh. He turned to his desk again and was about to pick the file back up when Lieutenant Sythe summoned him to his office.

"Have a seat, Flack." Sythe offered. "I'll explain what I want, as soon as my side stops hurting from laughing so hard."

An hour later Flack left Sythe's office. "Hey, Flack." He hears on his way back to his desk, then turns to see Caine. "I hear you got assigned the Lingerie Football case."

"That's right." Flack answers factually.

"Too bad Angell's sick. She could have done some undercover work on the case. Ya know, uniform and all." Caine smirks out.

Flack did not answer beyond the disgusted look he gave Caine.

**AFTER SHIFT...**

"And he had the audacity to describe what Angell should wear while playing football." Flack said with anger in his tone.

"And you left his head on his shoulders?" Messer asked as he easily stole the ball from Flack who was obviously too distracted to be playing basketball.

"Not by choice." Flack assured him. "Right outside Sythe's office and too many witnesses in the bullpen. Besides, he was obviously trying to bait me and I wasn't about to let him do that."

Messer laughed in response, "So, I heard that you're gonna kill me." He stated, before going in for an easy layup.

It was Flack's turn to laugh, "You should have seen the look on Patterson's face. It was priceless."

"You and Angell getting a lot of comments since the ball?" Messer asks, passing the ball back out to Flack.

"Not to many, really. I doubt there were many that didn't have us figured out already." Flack said, now his turn for a layup.

"Kinda comes from working with detectives." Messer said while trying unsuccessfully to block Flack.

"True. But it was worth it, and now we don't have to feel like we've got some sort of secret." Flack states, remembering how it felt to hold the woman he loves as they moved in rhythm to the music.

Danny, of course, took full advantage of his friend's current state of distraction to take the ball. "You're so whipped." He stated after sinking the ball.

"Takes one to know one." Flack states, referring to his friend being 'whipped' as well.

Messer sighed, "True." He admitted, shoving the basketball into his gym bag. "Let's get out of here. I've gotta stop and pick up some chicken soup for Lindsay."

"Why?" Flack teased, "You get her pregnant, too?"

**FAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFA**

Thanks for reading. Please leave a review before you go!

The next chapter includes the episode "Sanguine Love", Flack & Angell have an important talk, and it will be Lindsay's birthday.


	13. Smoke and Babies

My thanks for the reviews of chapter 12. Apparently Flack's rant to Patterson about his thinking Angell was pregnant was very popular.

Returning cast for this chapter include: Samantha Flack, Detective Patterson and Ofc. Preston Meeks.  
My characters for this chapter include: Gary & Bonnie Harpool, and their daughter Lilie

Remember the episode in season 4 when Danny forgot Lindsay's birthday? That originally aired February 6th, so that's the date I'm using for Lindsay's birthday in this chapter because it coincides with the episode "Sanguine Love" also aired close to that date.

Speaking of Lindsay, I never did like the way producers/writers handled the whole thing about Danny cheating on her with Rikki. They just never cleared it up, which made it look like Lindsay either turned a blind eye to it, which doesn't say much for her character, or that Danny lied to her about it, which isn't a good way to start a marriage. So, I've decided to use this opportunity to clear that up.

*******INCLUDES THE EPISODE "SANGUINE LOVE"*******

Flack slowly opened his eyes, realizing immediately that something was different. First off, he was on his back, obviously having not slept on his stomach like he always did. And his right hand, that was always tucked under his pillow, was holding another hand across his chest, a small soft hand. And there was long chestnut colored hair, well, pretty much everywhere. He looked to his left to see Angell asleep, wedged between him and the back of his couch. She was so thin that she actually fit quite well there. 'She looks uncomfortable' he thought to himself at noticing how her head was low and tucked by his side, but figured that if she was, she'd probably have woken up, so he chose not to disturb her. Instead, he decided to be grateful for last night's boring movie and go back to sleep.

**LATER THAT MORNING...**

"What happened?" Flack demanded, to no one in particular. "What happened?" He repeated at not receiving an immediate answer from anyone.

Angell pulled the oxygen mask away from her face and tried to sit up to look at him. "The... ba..by." She managed to get out, between coughing fits.

"Ma'am, you need to leave the oxygen mask on." The paramedic attending her insisted as he repositioned the mask back over her mouth and nose, trying simultaneously to get her to lay back down.

"Shhh, don't try to talk, Jess." Flack said to her, his tone suddenly soothing and gentle. He had never intended for her to answer his question in the first place, he was waiting impatiently for someone else to do that.

Angell tried to set up again, but a coughing fit prevented her from it, even with the oxygen mask on.

"What did she say?" Detective Patterson asked as he approached.

"The... ba.. by." Angell repeated, having pulled the mask off again.

As the paramedic argued with Angell regarding the mask, again, Patterson gave a sideways glance at Flack, "Sounds like Angell still has that 'cold'." He smirked, causing Flack to send him a glare.

"Ma'am, are you pregnant?" The paramedic asked Angell, who was unable to speak at the moment and could only shake her head.

"No, she's not." Flack answered on her behalf.

"I can explain." Officer Meeks spoke up, as soon as the paramedic removed his mask. Flack gave Angell an 'I'll be right back' nod, then he and Patterson walked the dozen or so feet to another ambulance where Meeks was also laying down on a stretcher. They did not bother to climb inside, as the paramedic was adjusting the stretcher so Meeks could set upright and see out the back doors. Flack and Patterson took in Meeks' appearance; black and gray smears near his mouth and nose from the smoke inhalation, just like Angell. "Angell and I were on our way to serve a warrant when we passed this house just as a lady came running out the door screaming." He began, but needed to stop and cough, "Turns out she was the neighbor. Angell and I entered and found a female D.B. on the kitchen floor. From her ID, she was the lady of the house, a Bonnie Harpool. There was a lot of blood on the floor from what appeared to be multiple stab wounds to the chest. I was about to call it in when Angell noticed something." More coughing from Meeks interrupted his recounting.

"Take your time, Preston. No one's rushing you." Patterson said.

"But time could be of the essence here." Meeks said as he did his best to continue between coughs. "Angell noticed this white stuff on the floor next to the body, mixed with the blood. Said she thought it was breast milk. Before we could search the house for a baby, she heard a noise coming from above us, foot steps, from up in the attic. We drew our weapons, thinking it was the killer still in the house and that he might have the baby. But he next thing we know there's fire and smoke coming at us from all the air vents, up in the ceiling and down on the floors."

Flack and Patterson got a few more details from Meeks and checked on Angell again before continuing on their original destination to pick up Keith Porgazi, the boyfriend of the victim found in Central Park that morning.

**THAT AFTERNOON...**

Flack walked into the bullpen, eager to talk with Angell, but Lieutenant Sythe had other ideas and waved him over. Twenty minutes later he was finally free from the confines of Sythe's office and headed for Angell who was still seated at her desk. "How ya feeling?" He asked, pulling a seat up next to her.

"The same way I felt the last twenty times you asked when you called to check on me today." She said, then looked over at him, "Fine."

Flack smiled, knowing he'd been in an overprotective mode over her all day. But seeing her like that today was just one more reminder of how much he loved her and how it pained him to see anything bad happen to her. He wanted to tell her that, but this was not the place and he was pretty sure that her phone was ringing.

"My warrant is ready. I've gotta go, Don. We still on for tonight with the Messers?" She asked, setting down her phone and clipping her gun to her belt.

"Seven o'clock at their place, for Lindsay's birthday dinner." He answered as he stood.

**THAT EVENING...**

Angell arrived at the Messer's apartment before Flack and found only Lindsay home when she answered the door with Lucy on her hip. "Am I early?" Angell asked, glancing at her watch.

Lindsay shook her head, which Lucy mimicked, and said, "Nope. Danny's just not home yet, come on in."

"Don's still working on that vampire cult case, but shouldn't be too much longer." Angell stated. "You're getting so big." She added, poking Lucy in the tummy and causing her to giggle.

"Wine?" Lindsay offered as she put Lucy down.

"Yeah. Thanks." Angell said, following Lindsay into the kitchen.

"Here." Lindsay said, handing her the glass. "Maybe this will loosen your tongue for you." Angell arched a brow in confusion. "Well, you clearly have something on your mind or bothering you, I mean, aside from the almost burning in a fire today thing. Care to talk about it?"

"And I thought only Don could read me that well." Angell stated before taking a sip.

The ladies walked into the living room. "Spill." Lindsay ordered as she gestured for Angell to take a seat on the couch.

Angell smirked, but wasn't sure why. She and Don had become close friends with the Messers, having dinners together frequently. Although it was nice to have another couple to hang out with, she did have sisters-in-law and closer female friends to talk to when she felt the need. However, there was something about Lindsay's genuine offer that made her feel inclined to share at the moment. So she did. "I've just been noticing that Lieutenant Sythe has been calling Don into his office a lot lately. But Don hasn't mentioned anything being wrong or talked about anything case-related when he's come out."

"And you're not sure what's going on or why Sythe is calling him in." Lindsay confirmed.

Angell nodded, "I'm sure if something was wrong he would have told me." It was Lindsay's turn to nod. "You're turn."

"Hmm?" Lindsay mumbled, as Lucy reached up to stick her baby doll in her mommy's face. "Go find her blanket, Lucy." She instructed her daughter before turning back to Angell.

"I said, it's your turn." Angell repeated. "I can tell something's bothering you, too."

Now it was Lindsay's turn to smirk, she hadn't realized she'd been so transparent. "I wish Danny was really at work. Ya know, like Don is. But he only said the was so he could go get my birthday present."

"Well, considering that it is your birthday..." Angell trailed off, not sure what else to say.

"Yeah, I know, but,... we've just moved into this overpriced apartment here in the city. Add in child care and diapers, and... I keep telling him that he shouldn't spend the money on me like that, but he won't listen." Lindsay explained.

"He loves you." Angell stated simply.

"As long as that's the only reason." Lindsay said, mostly to herself.

"What do you mean?" Angell asked, treading lightly at the topic.

Lindsay sighed, "I just don't want him to do it out of guilt." She looked up to see an almost concerned look on Angell's face. "Let me explain." She began, "Sid's oldest daughter own's a bakery, and the first Monday of every month she sends him to work with a birthday cake with the names of everyone who's having a birthday that month on it. Well, the year after I got here, when he brought in the February cake, my name wasn't included. I kept my mouth shut, of course, it's not like it was any big deal. I mean, it's just a cake in the break room. Anyway, when the March cake arrives, Danny asks me; 'So, Montana, when are we gonna see your name on one of these birthday cakes?'

"So he figured out that your birthday had just been skipped." Angell surmised.

Lindsay nodded, "Yeah. And I was still trying to feel like I totally fit in here, and I still missed Montana and my family, and I was still looking for a better apartment, and... well, he just felt sorry for me."

"Understandable." Angell said, setting her wine glass down on the coffee table.

"So anyway, Danny made this big deal about how he was going to make sure my next birthday was really special, and on and on he went about it." Lindsay said.

"But?" Angell prodded, picking her glass as Lucy was about to grab it.

"But... he decided to cheat on me instead." Lindsay stated bluntly, but rather quietly. Angell didn't say anything. Now was not the time to speak, but the death of Ruben Sandoval and Danny's guilt over it flooded her memory. "He felt so guilty, and... and he was just trying to comfort her, but then..."

"So you think he's trying to make up for it now?" Angell inquired at seeing Lindsay was having trouble continuing her words, although to her credit, she had retained her composure very well.

Lindsay nodded, "We've talked about it, a lot. It's behind us. Very far behind us." She clarified, almost as if defending herself and her decision to marry the man who had once cheated on her.

"I can see that." Angell said, placing a reassuring hand on Lindsay's arm. "Forgiving is a very powerful thing,... and just as important as being forgiven." She added with just the slightest hint of a smile, letting her friend know that there was no judgment on her part.

"Mmmm. Mmmm." Both women heard and turned to see Lucy trying to pull her shirt over her head, but not succeeding.

"Silly girl." Lindsay said, reaching over to help her daughter. "Looks like someone got juice all over themselves."

Danny and Flack arrived a short while later with Chinese food for dinner and an enjoyable, relaxing evening was under way.

"Here, Linds." Danny said, handing her an envelope. Lindsay eyes it almost warily. She meant what she'd told Angell about their budget. "Well, go on. Open it." He insisted. "It's from all of us."

Lindsay opened the envelope and pulled out a certificate. "A spa day?" She ask in surprise, her eyes wide.

"Figured with all those chemicals you use at work that a manicure was due by now." Angell chimed in.

"Why do they call 'em a 'man-i-cure' when women get them?" Flack asked.

"Men get them, too." Lindsay informed him, to which Flack just rolled his eyes as he spooned another bite of something he couldn't quite identify into Lucy's open mouth.

**THE NEXT DAY...**

It had been an 'interesting' morning.

Flack's case seemed to get stranger by the hour as he and Danny learned more about the Sanguine Vampire cult that their vic Estelle Christensen's had been involved in. Keith Porgazi's interview had yielded nothing and now he was waiting on Mac for information about an older gentlemen that could be a person of interest. But waiting wasn't something Flack did very well and at the moment he was watching his girlfriend try to stifle another cough, a leftover symptom from yesterday's smoky situation.

Angell had received confirmation from the lab that her vic Bonnie Harpool was indeed a nursing mother who's milk had mixed with her spilled blood on her own kitchen floor, probably by the hands of her husband who was now in the wind with their five week old daughter Lilie. Angell was currently waiting on a judge to sign the warrant she needed to look into Gary Harpool's finances so she could find a motive for him killing his wife. She never did like the waiting part, but it would be a lot easier if she didn't know her boyfriend was staring at her because she she was still coughing.

Flack filed his last DD-5 and tossed his pencil down, "Your first day back after being sick and you get smoke inhalation." He stated, causing Angell to look up at him. "Come on, Jess. We both need a break."

Angell agreed. She stood, grabbed her coat, and followed Flack out of the precinct. The sun's rays were deceptively beautiful as there were no clouds to hold in the heat, it was February after all, and he put his arm around her to help keep her warm as they walked the three blocks to the City Hall building where there was a nice large courtyard.

Flack and Angell took a seat on the bench nearest the fountain with their coffees. "I always did like this fountain." Flack commented.

"Why's that?" Angell asked, sipping her caramel latte.

"Even though it's not the tallest, l always liked the way the water comes crashing down and rolls over itself at the base." He explained. "See, if you look right-"

"No thanks." Angell said, shaking her head. "Don, that rolling water reminds me of how my stomach felt the other day. So I can either look at it or drink this coffee that is keeping me warm, but not both, if ya know what I mean."

"Stomach still bothering you?" He asked, before sipping his cinnamon latte.

"Just a little." She answered, still not looking at the water. "I heard about what Patterson said while I was out sick,... and what you said back to him." She added with a grin.

"Yeah. Well, he had it coming." Flack justified with a grin of his own, and a raised brow, too. "But ya know, Jess," He paused to take her hand and make eye contact, "I have been thinking. About us. About our future." He said, pulling her closer. "Wondering what it really would be like for us to have a child together some day."

"Wondering what I'd look like pregnant, huh?" She joked.

"Beautiful." He assured her, cupping her face gently, a picture of her pregnant their son Three vivid in his mind.

"Yeah." She said, dragging out the word. "With swollen ankles, fat, varicose veins, irritable, overly hormonal, and-"

"And craving some crazy concoction like cookie dough ice cream and beef jerky at three o'clock in the morning." Flack teased back, "Well, according to Danny, anyway."

"You and Danny talk about these things frequently?" She teased again.

"What? And get all touchy-feely?" He grimaced. "Not a chance."

Angell's phone rang at that moment. Her warrant was ready and it was time they headed back to the precinct. "Jess." Flack said as they stood, maintaining their close proximity. "I meant what I said. I realize we're not ready yet,... but some day." Flack didn't get any further with his thoughts or words as she silenced him with a kiss, a warm and wonderful blend of caramel and cinnamon.

"Guess that means you'll end up in my bed, eventually." She said as their lips parted, but still in his arms.

"Or you in mine." He said, resting his forehead against hers. "Or us in ours."

_'Ours?'_ Angell thought to herself. _'What did he mean by that? Is he talking about 'ours' as in us being married? That kind of 'ours'?'_

"Between our crazy work schedules and that darn Fabric Law, it may take that long." He joked, interrupting her thoughts. "But you, Jess, are worth the wait." He added in a serious tone before kissing her again.

**THAT EVENING...**

"No luck yet?" Flack asked, taking a seat on the corner of Angell's desk.

"Apparently she's never been fed with a bottle before." Angell stated as she tried unsuccessfully to sooth Lilie Harpool.

Caine rolled back in his chair and looked over, "Hey, Angell, maybe you could try-"

"Shut up, Caine!" Flack and Angell both ordered in unison at knowing what he was about to suggest.

"Come on, Lilie." Angell said gently. "You need to eat." She was hoping to have the baby fed by the time the social worker finished with the paperwork she was currently taking care of in Sythe's office.

"Here." Flack said, holding out his hands. "Let me try."

Angell raised a brow, but figured it was worth a try and handed little Lilie over to him.

Flack cradled the baby girl in one arm and offered her the bottle again. Lilie wasn't happy at the moment, and it took a little coaxing, but she eventually gave in to her hunger and accepted the bottle.

Angell sat back, watching the scene unfold before, knowing that her boyfriend would be a wonderful father some day.

**AN HOUR LATER...**

"You did good with Baby Harpool earlier." Angell stated to Flack as they both laced up their running shoes.

"Thanks." He said, "You never told me what happened this afternoon."

"NYFD's arson investigator discovered a fire had been set in the ventilation system in the attic, which is why the smoke and flames shot out at us from all the vents. The attic crossed over to the adjoining garage, which is how Gary Harpool escaped. When Meeks and I found him at the train station with Lilie, he still smelled like gas from where it had splashed on his pant legs when he set the fire." Angell explained while lacing up her shoes.

"Sounds like a closed case." Flack said, standing up.

"Mhmm. He fessed up to everything as soon as we took Lilie from him and put him in an interrogation room." Angell said, also stand now. "How did your vampire case turn out?"

"Despite how creepy that Joseph Vance character is,... it was the boyfriend after all." Flack answered as they left the precinct's locker room. "He was jealous, more than anything."

"Jealousy can be an ugly thing." Angell stated as they reached the sidewalk. "You ready to run?" She asked and he nodded. "Good. Because I need to run off some stress, and murders and orphan makers stress me. Let's go."

**THE NEXT AFTERNOON...**

"Don,... why did you tell me to dress up if we were going to the park?" Angell inquired at seeing they had arrived at Central Park.

"Because, I have a plan." He answered before going around to open her door for her. "Come with me." He said, offering his hand.

They laced their gloved fingers together and walked a short distance to a tree lined path with benches and statues. Similar to the area Estelle Christensen had taken her photographs and been killed in. Angell was surprised to see his sister Sam was there, as if waiting for them.

"Hi, Sam." Angell greeted in surprise.

"Hey, Jess. Good to see you again." Sam greeted with her a hug.

"Thanks for meeting us here, Sam." Flack said to his sister.

"Glad to help." She said, the stepped over to a case on one of the benches.

"Don?" Angell coaxed.

"All those great pictures Estelle Christensen took here in this park got me thinking,... I want a picture of you. A really nice picture. And another one of us together. Sam's pretty good with a camera, so I asked her to help." He explained to his obviously surprised girlfriend.

"Okay, you two, let's get started." Sam interrupted. "It's the golden hour right now, which means the sun is at just the right angle to cast a golden glow, perfect for photography. Both of you come over here." She instructed, knowing that Angell would be more comfortable if the couple photos were taken first. "Now, I need you two to face this direction, so I don't get glare from the snow."

Two hours later Flack and Angell were back at her place, curled up in front of the fireplace, looking at the photos from the park on a laptop.

"I want that one for my new desktop photo." Angell stated, indicating one of the photos. "And that one is going in my locker at work." She added, indicating another photo of the two of them on one of the park's benches.

There was another photo that caught her attention immediately, a close up of them in an embrace, as if about to kiss. Her first thought was that it would be perfect for an engagement announcement or wedding invitation. _'Maybe, some day.'_ She thought to herself, but didn't say anything.

"I like that one best." Flack stated, indicating of photo of Angell in his arms, but with her head back laughing. "It's just so you. And that one there is going in my wallet." He added, indicating a photo of just her.

There was another photo that caught his attention right away, a close up of the two of them; he stood behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist, a look of anticipation on her face as if she was waiting for him to kiss her neck or something. _'That would be perfect for our wedding invitaion some day.'_ He thought to himself, but didn't say anything. He wasn't ready... not quite yet.

**FAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFA**

Remember the fireplace from my Christmas Eve story? That's the one referred to in this chapter. Nice that it's getting so much use.

I decided that Flack and Angell need some nice photos, so I worked Sam in to help them out with it all.

My next chapter will be based on the episode "The Formula" which will include Valentine's Day. Was hoping to have it written and posted by VD, but my muse and schedule don't seem to be happening at the same time right now. Although I won't get it posed in time, I can assure you that Flack has big things planned.

Before I go, I wanna say 'Thank you!' for all the adds. This is also a good time to remind everyone that I write my stories so they build on each other. They are best read in order so they make sense and you don't miss out on the little seeds I've planted along the way. My profile has a numbered list so it's easy to follow along. New chapters to this story - "Flangellized" - will continue through season 6 before I begin another new story.

Wanna leave a review before you go?  
Rhetorical question... of course you do!


	14. Everything is worth it in the end

Sorry I didn't get this posted by Valentine's Day, but my schedule and my muse are just not cooperating right now. My goal is to say in the same timeline as last season, so I'm posting exactly one year behind. Well, that's my goal anyway, we'll have to wait and see. I'm glad you all liked the scenes between Flack and baby Lilie in the last chapter.

Since this chapter includes "The Formula", which originally aired in February, it also includes Valentine's Day.

This chapter also includes Angell's birthday; According to CBS's version of Pay Up, the newspaper Mr. Dunbrook handed Mac indicates that Angell's birthday is February 9th. I'm going with that date, even though in S6 E3 Mr. Angell inviting Flack to her birthday dinner on a different date.

According to one of my previous stories, Angell's brother Jared's birthday is 2 days before hers, so this chapter begins on Sunday, February 7th at Mr. Angell's house for their joint birthday dinner.

Here is a reminder of the Angell family;  
Father - Cliff Angell (widower)  
Father's girlfriend - Sherri  
Oldest brother - Jared, wife Madeleine, son Dominique  
Next brother - Jason, is still in jail, so he's not present  
Next brother - Jacob, wife is Jenna, baby on the way  
Youngest brother - Joshua (single)

**FAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFA**

"Oh wow, it's lovely." Angell said as she pulled the antique vase from it's box. She always did like antiques and things with sentimental value and it would go great with the antique frame Flack had put one of their pictures in, his birthday gift to her.

"Happy birthday, Jessica." Her brothers Jared, Jacob, and Joshua replied between bites of cake. Angell smiled, knowing full well that either Jenna or Madeleine had picked it out. But that's what sisters-in-law were for. She looked up to see her father's girlfriend Sherri taking pictures. She was happy for her father, that he wasn't lonely, and for the most part she liked Sherri, but it was times like these that she missed her mother the most.

_'It was a wonderful and fun evening'_ Angell thought as she began the drive home. With she and her brothers all grown now it was becoming more and more difficult to get together due to their jobs and family obligations. But birthdays were always treated as special days in the Angell household, something her mother made sure of. With five kids, it was important to her that each one have their special day. Of course that wasn't quite the way it was for Jared and Jessica, being only two days apart, so they had theirs combined. Oh sure, kids having to share their special day with some, especially a sibling, wasn't quite as much fun when they were little. But now as adults, they both kinda liked it that way. Something they would always have in common that no one could take from them.

As Angell continued her drive home her thoughts diverted from her family to missing her boyfriend who got called in at the last minute with a lead on a case. He had to go, she knew that, it was the job, but she missed him anyway. It was getting late now and she hadn't heard from him. She wondered how his case turned out, if the lead had been worth it. She thought about calling him, he'd probably still be awake. But before she made that decision, her phone rang, it was Nadine. Nadine was a dispatch operator, so whenever she called, you answered.

"Detective Angell." She answered.

_'So much for heading home.'_ Angell thought to herself. _'... or getting any sleep.' _She added, as she took the next exit, headed for a dead body in Queens.

**THE NEXT DAY...**

"I need ideas, Danny." Flack all but pleaded with his friend as he followed him into the layout room.

"You need ideas? I need ideas! I've been at this longer than you and am running out of them." Messer replied in truth as he leaned up against the evidence table.

"Well, I'll save ya the time of calling any decent restaurants, 'cause they're already booked." Flack informed him with a sigh.

"Boom!" Messer suddenly said at seeing Angell approach the doorway, effectively ending the guys' conversation.

"Hey, guys." Angell greeted, stopping in the doorway.

"I've always assumed you had some big guns, Angell. 'Cause I've see ya take down a few perps, but I had no idea." Messer teased at seeing her stand there holding two rifles, one resting on each hip.

Just as Angell was about to explain,... "Whoa! Where did you get those?" Monroe interrupted as she quickly approached Angell out in the hallway. Flack and Messer came closer to the door to listen to the ladies'.

"Evidence from a scene." Angell answered. "Hawkes just finished dusting them for prints and cleared them for ballistics. Wanna help me with a little test firing?" She teased.

"You know it, girl." Monroe said with an immediate smile and taking one of the rifles from her. "This is a 700 XHR Remington Xtreme Hunting Rifle, 7mm with a 24 inch Barrel."

"Hawkes wasn't quite finished with the scope that was on this one." Angell said just as Hawkes rounded the corner.

"Mine." Monroe demanded with outstretched hands to Hawkes as he approached. Hawkes quickly and wisely handed the evidence over. "It's a Quest 4 scope." The guys heard Lindsay say to Angell as they departed for ballistics.

"You look like a kid who just lost his favorite toy." Flack said, teasing Hawkes who just stood there, now empty handed.

"Why do they get to have all the fun." Hawkes mock pouted.

"Because she's going to pretend that pig in there,... is a deer." Messer stated, referring to his wife. "Just like when she was back in Montana."

**MEANWHILE...**

"So what do I get him?" Monroe asked Angell. "I'm running out of ideas." She added with a furrowed brow.

"Sorry, Linds. I'm not gonna be much help. I'm still not sure what I'm getting for Don." Angell answered. "I mean, I think I should get him something. It's always the guys who are under all the pressure when it comes to Valentine's Day, but it would seem odd not to get him anything. Right?"

Monroe nodded, "It's a good thing for both of us that we've got all week to figure this out." She said, looking at the pig through the scope, pretending it was a deer.

**LATE FRIDAY...**

"He was dressed as a what?" Flack asked again into his phone, still confused as he aimlessly wondered his living room while he talked.

"Well, I'm not quite sure what he was dressed as, to be honest. But he looked like some alien space ship captain on a Star Trek episode." Angell answered, wedging her phone between her ear and shoulder to have a free hand to type at the same time.

"O-kay." Flack drug out. "I know Adam is into all this Second Life stuff, but I had no idea he did the whole costume thing, too."

"Avatar, Don. It's called an avatar, not a costume." She corrected. "Caine and I had to track down a lead at Avabar, that cos-play bar way out on 147th. I was totally shocked when Adam came up to see what we were doing there. If he hadn't spoken to me, there's no way I would have recognized him." She said while hitting the print button.

"Who did you say he had with him? Flack asked.

"I think he said her name was Carrie. A tiny petite lady with long blond hair and big green eyes." Angell answered.

"And who was she dressed as? Uhura?" Flack smirked, kicking back in his HUC.

"Actually, I had no problem recognizing her character. Tinkerbell." Angell stated as she filed her DD-5. "Suited her to a tee, I must say." She added as she heard him let out a heavy sigh. "Don't let it bug you, Don."

"It's Valentine's weekend, Jess." He began, not surprised that she knew he was bummed. "I realize we have all weekend to do something, but with our crazy schedules, it may take all weekend just to get to see each other."

"I know, Don. I know." She stated, feeling the same way. "But it's only Friday."

"Yeah, it's Friday night and you're stuck working with Caine again." He huffed.

"Don't worry about Caine. I can handle him when I have to." Angell assured her boyfriend.

"I know." Flack stated, noticing she had said 'when' not 'if' in regards to handling Caine.

"Tell me about your case." Angell said, trying to distract him.

Flack gave a slight smile, he could tell what she was trying to do and appreciated it. "There was a pre-race exhibition today. The car blew up, leaving the driver in the hospital and the lab playing Humpty Dumpty with all the car parts."

"Santos." Angell stated.

Flack chuckled to himself, he shouldn't be surprised. "You're familiar with him." He stated, reaching for the pillow she'd had made for him.

"Of course. The New York 400 race is on Sunday. Formula one racing at it's best." Angell said, re-holstering her gun as Caine gave her the signal that they needed to head back out. "I've gotta go, Don. We've got another lead to check out."

"Be safe, sweetheart." He said.

"Don't sound so sad, Don" She said with a pleading tone.

"Tonight is shot and we're working opposite shifts tomorrow." He said.

"Doesn't mean we won't see each other in passing." She tossed in with optimism.

"Not the same, Jess." He said.

"Do you love me?" She asked.

"You know I do." He assured her.

"That's all I need to know." She stated.

"Be safe, sweetheart." He repeated before they hung up. Flack clutched the pillow to his chest, taking in the scent. She liked to hold it while they were curled up on his couch watching a movie and he usually kept it on his bed because it reminded him of her thoughtfulness.

**EARLY SATURDAY...**

"One wire." Flack repeated.

"One yellow wire." Monroe specified.

"You put an entire car back together and all you had left over was one yellow wire?" He said, rocking back on his heels. "That's pretty good."

"I know it doesn't sound like much, but that yellow wire could tell us who our killer is." Monroe stated.

"You said Adam helped you out on this. I didn't know he knew about cars, too." Flack stated as they continued their journey down the hall to the evidence room.

"Adam was great at all the computerized stuff." Danny stated as he approached and joined in the conversation. "But when it comes to driving, Speed Racer shifts his gears better on his Play Station."

Flack laughed before speaking, "I'm headed back to the track with Mac to question Liza Gray and the Crew Chief."

"I'm gonna go see if Stella's awake yet." Monroe stated as she started to walk away.

"Awake yet?" Her husband inquired, a confused expression on his face.

"Found her asleep at her desk this morning. I figured whoever her Valentine's date was, they must've stayed out quite late." Monroe explained with a shrug before walking away, leaving her husband and Flack standing in the middle of the lab's hall way.

"So, uh, you figure out what you're gonna get for Linds yet?" Flack asked Messer once Monroe was out of earshot.

"Yeah, yeah. I did." Messer began as the guys resumed their walking. "This is gonna be perfect, it's totally Lindsay."

Flack stopped after only a few steps. "What's that?" He asked, gesturing towards Mac's office.

"Looks like someone's on Mac's couch." Messer half-guessed as he took another step closer.

Both men walked closer towards the glass wall surrounding Mac's office and peered over the back of the couch. What they had seen was Mac's knees sticking up, as he was sound asleep on his couch.

"Looks like someone stayed out very late with their Valentine date last night." Flack stated, then both men looked at each other.

"You don't suppose..." Messer began, but didn't finish.

Flack didn't speak, but gave his buddy a knowing nod before leaving.

**SATURDAY NIGHT...**

"I'm sorry, sweetheart." Flack all but whined into his phone. "I though if I went in early today that I'd manage to get off on time."

"Don." Angell stated, mostly to get his attention. "Don, the reason we are making our relationship work, is because we're both cops, and because we're both cops we understand what it's like."

"I know, Jess, I know. It's just that... Valentine's weekend or not, I want to see you." Flack stated, "I wan-" Flack paused. "What's that noise?"

"Water." Angell answered.

"Water." He repeated after a moment. "Are you taking a bath?" He asked, not sure if he wanted the answer, or at least the image stuck in his mind while he tried to concentrate on work.

"Hot tub." Angell clarified.

_'Whew.'_ Flack thought to himself, _'At least she's got a swim suit on and isn't completely na-'_

"My brother Jacob called." Angell said, interrupting his thought. "He and Jenna got a last-minute opportunity to go away for the night, but they needed someone to dog-sit Shea. Fortunately for them, he called right after Sythe told me you'd be pulling a double. So I agreed." She heard her boyfriend sigh on the other end of the line. "I know we both have to work tomorrow, but I'll be here all night, if you care to join me."

Flack pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. His beautiful girlfriend was sitting in a hot tub waiting for him and he had to work. 'What is wrong with this picture?' He mentally asked himself. "No promises, Jess. But only because I'd hate to break a promise to you. I'll see what I can do."

"I love you, Don." Angell said before hanging up, knowing full well he would not be able to get away to come to her.

"I love you, too, sweetheart." Flack said, disappointment in his voice, knowing full well he would not be able to get away to go to her.

**SUNDAY...**

"What's wrong?" Angell asked Officer Potter, seeing a look on her face that definitely said something was wrong.

"Nothing." Potter answered very quickly and with a nervous tone to her voice.

Angell noticed the way she was clutching her jacket up high near her neck and walked over to her, "Glenda, we women officers are far outnumbered, so it helps when we stick together." She noticed Potter looking down at the floor. "If there's something wrong, it might help if you told someone."

Potter slowly looked up at Angell, then she looked around the locker room to make sure no one else was there. "Well, you see, I, um,... I just got off shift and... was in the shower a little while ago. And, um..." She trailed off, needing to take a deep breath, intending to continue.

Angell nodded at the realization of what her fellow female officer was referring to. "Was there someone else in here?" She gently prodded.

Potter nodded in affirmation.

"Do you know who it was?" She asked.

Potter nodded again, then took a deep breath. "Caine."

Angell was right. There was no other guy at the precinct who would be so bold as to do something like that. "You want me to go with you to talk to Lieutenant Sythe?" She offered.

Potter adamantly shook her head, "No. I can't do that."

"Glenda, you have to report it. You can't let this slide." Angell insisted as gently as she could.

"Angell, I have no proof. It'll just be my word against his. I'm an 'officer' and he's a 'detective'. He outranks me." Potter said in one long breath.

"Sexual harassment isn't about rank or seniority, Glenda. This is about all of us, men and women both, being able to come here and do our jobs." Angell said.

Potter looked away, as if thinking about it, "I can't." She finally said quietly, as if apologizing.

"What if I told you I can help." Angell watched Potter's eyes widen at her words.

A few minutes later Angell and Potter sat in front of Lieutenant Sythe's desk. "This is a very serious matter, ladies." Sythe said to them. "Officer Potter, do you have any proof? Is there anyone that can collaborate your account of what happened in the locker room?"

"No, sir." Potter answered. This is what she had been afraid of, that he wouldn't believe her and it would come down to Caine's word against hers.

"I am aware of Detective Caine's-" Sythe began.

"I believe I can help with that, sir." Angell spoke up, interrupting Sythe and gaining his attention, and surprising Potter. "I caught Detective Caine a while back in the locker room spying on someone." She said, taking out her cell phone, "It was someone in the women's shower. He didn't hear me come in, so I was able to get pictures of him with my phone." She explained, handing her phone across the desk to Sythe.

When Sythe had finished viewing the pictures, "I'd switched my phone to 'video' mode after taking that last picture, sir. There's not much to see, but there is some audio you should hear." Angell explained, then set her phone to play mode and they all listened...

_Angell: "Perfect. One that shows your face."_

_Caine: "Hey, what're you doing?"_

_Angell: "Don't worry, Caine. You didn't break the camera."_

_Caine: "What're you going to do with that?"_

_Angell: "What? The picture? Oh, I don't know. Let's just say it's a little 'insurance policy'."_

_Caine: "Insurance against what?"_

_Angell: "Against you're bothering me. I'm sick of you always glaring at me, looking me up & down like I'm some piece of meat, making unwanted comments."_

_Caine: "What if I like what I see? Besides, women like to get compliments."_

_Angell: "Those aren't compliments, you womanizing pig. So keep your non-work related comments and your glares to yourself."_

_Caine: "Or what?"_

_Angell: "Or the captain sees the photo."_

Angell had been right, there wasn't much video to be seen, but after they all listened to the playback Sythe took several minutes to upload Angell's pictures onto his computer and study them. He eventually rested his head in his hands, propped up on his desk. "I'm, uh, gonna need a little time to deal with this, ladies. Do you have anything else to add. Is there anything else I should know."

Potter shook her head, but Angell spoke up, "Yes, sir. I have something else you need to see. But I don't have it here. If you could give me an hour, sir."

Potter and Angell left Lieutenant Sythe's office before he called Caine in for a meeting, during which time Angell went home to retrieve a notebook, then returned to the precinct.

Flack watched Caine exit Lieutenant Sythe's office, then a few minutes later he saw Angell enter the office again and shut the door.

"I've been keeping a notebook, with dated details, about Detective Caine's... um, 'advances', I suppose is the best word to use." Angell said, handing the notebook to Sythe. "I knew this would come up some day. There have been inappropriate comments about personal things he's referred to, like my clothes or my hair. There have been inappropriate comments or questions about things like,... like my bra size, or my figure. He's asked me out numerous times, all of which I declined, of course. Lots of things have been smaller, like catching him staring at me in the locker room. It's all in there, sir."

"This is very, thorough, Detective Angell." Sythe said as he flipped the pages of the notebook, impressed and glad he had even more to back up the case against Caine.

"Seeing how upset Officer Potter has really changed things. She felt so defenseless today. She was afraid she wouldn't be believed because he outranks her, and that's not right, and that's not fair." Angell said.

"I'd like to keep this, if you don't mind, Detective." Sythe said, starting to put her notebook in his top drawer.

"Actually, sir,..." She began, holding out her hand for the notebook, "I stopped by the copier on my way in. These are for you." She finished, handing him a small stack of papers.

After seeing Angell, Potter, and Caine all go in-and-out of Lieutenant Sythe's office in a short amount of time, Flack decided it was his turn.

"Sir?" Flack said, poking his head in the door. "You got a minute?"

**A FEW MINUTES LATER...**

"Well, well, well,... if it isn't little miss tattle tale." Caine said, walking into the locker room where Angell was. Angell ignored Caine and tucked the notebook into the back of her locker before closing it. She didn't want him seeing the notebook or getting his hands on it. Caine walked up and leaned against the locker next to hers and reached out as if to touch her hair and said, "It's too bad we never got to go on that date, Jessica."

Angell swiftly grabbed his wrist, "That's 'Detective Angell' to you." She said in a firm voice, throwing his wrist to the side.

"Aw, common, Jessica. Don't be like that." His voice was sweet and taunting. "Those are some nice looking slacks you're wearing today. Smooth fabric, probably means you're wearing a thong. Right?"

"Not appropriate, Caine." Angell hissed back at him.

"You really should learn how to take a compliment better, Jessica." He said in the same sweet voice.

Angell crossed over the bench to walk away, but Caine reached out for her again. Angell pulled her arm away in time and said, "Don't! Don't you ever try to touch me again."

"But you have such beautiful skin, Jessica. We really should..." He didn't get to finish.

"You are a chauvinistic pig and I'm ordering you to stay away from me." Angell said through gritted teeth as she turned to leave, but froze when she saw Lieutenant Sythe and Flack standing there.

"Detective Caine." Sythe said, crossing his arms over his chest like Flack was already doing.

"Lieutenant." Caine began nervously, "I was just apologizing to Detective Angell here for..."

"Shut up, Caine." Sythe instructed, in an even but firm tone. "You've got two witnesses against you for sexual harassment, so far, backed up by pictures and video, a log book of complaints, and now another witness... Detective Flack here was just telling me about seeing you at the gym a while back. He thought you were just resting against the punching bag, but discovered that you were actually hiding behind it... as you were watching Detective Angell." Angell looked over to Flack, wide eyed and surprised he hadn't mentioned this at the gym. "Get back in my office, Caine." Sythe ordered with a furrowed brow.

Flack's phone rang and he followed Sythe and Caine out to answer it, leaving Angell alone again in the locker room... glad it was all over.

**SUNDAY AFTERNOON...**

Mac climbed into the blue race car as Stella climbed into the green one. "Remember, you break it, you bought it." Liza Gray reminded them.

Flack and Angell stood in the pit area as they watched their friends race around the track. "My money is on the Steve McQueen wanna-be." Flack said.

"Nah, my money is on Danaka Patrick could-be." Angell stated.

Flack turned to her, "You can't honestly think that Stella can beat Mac." He said.

"You'd better not be saying that because she's a woman." Angell said, hands now on her hips.

"Of course not. Stella's being a woman has nothing to do with Mac's ability to beat her in this race." Flack defended.

"Care to put your money where your mouth is?" Liza Gray spoke up, getting both of their attention.

"How's that?" Flack asked Gray.

"As soon as Steve McQueen and Danaka Patrick are done,... it's your turn." Gray said, referring to Flack and Angell.

"Really?" Angell asked in obvious excitement.

"Yep." Gray assured her.

Thirty minutes later Flack and Angell were suited up. Mac handed Flack his helmet as Stella handed Angell hers. And the race was on.

**SUNDAY NIGHT...**

Angell answered the door to her apartment. "Oh my gosh, Don, they're gorgeous." She stated at seeing her boyfriend standing there with a very large bouquet of red, pink, and white roses.

"These are just flowers, Jess. You, on the other hand, are gorgeous." He corrected as he handed the bouquet over to her. "The red ones are because I love you, the white ones are because you are also my best friend, and the pink ones are,... well, actually those are because it's the eleventh hour and that was pretty much all the florist had left."

Angell laughed, "Thank you." She said with a smile before kissing him, then heading to the bookshelf to retrieve the antique vase her brothers had given her for her birthday. She arranged the flowers, then set the vase back on the bookshelf next to the framed picture of her and Flack. "That looks perfect."

"It certainly does." He said, wrapping his arms around her from behind, then turned her in his arms to kiss her. "I missed you." He said when their lips parted.

"You saw me earlier today at he race track." She reminded him in a teasing tone, running her hands up his arms to rest on his shoulders.

"No, I saw the back of your race car at the track today." He smirked.

"You didn't let me win, did you?" She asked in suspicion.

"Didn't have to. You had me beat from the moment the flag dropped." He admitted.

A knock at the door was heard, Angell answered it and took the Chinese food delivery. "I was hoping you'd be able to stop by, so I ordered for two." She said, holding up the container of spicy orange chicken.

"As long as you use a fork." Flack teased, taking the chop sticks from her other hand.

"Very funny." Angell smirked back. Her last repeated attempt to master the two sticks resulted in a piece of sweet and sour pork flying across the room.

"Why did you order Chinese when you've already cooked?" He asked, taking a seat at the small table in her kitchen.

"Me? Cook? Yeah, right." She refuted, then saw him gesture to the pan on the stove. "Oh, that. That's just melted chocolate for the strawberries." She explained while taking the strawberries out of the refrigerator.

"What's on your mind?" Flack asked a while later over dinner.

"Just thinking." Angell replied, "This has turned out to be a great Valentine's after all. Roses, dinner together, and Caine... gone."

"Shhh." Flack shushed her. "Please don't mention him, I'm eating."

This caused Angell to laugh as she reached for an egg roll and the rest of their dinner was spent talking about many things, other than what's-his-name.

"I talked to Sythe earlier today." Angell stated without looking up and as she broke her fortune cookie in half.

Flack looked up at her and waited until she eventually looked up at him. "My fortune cookie reads, _'Everything is worth it in the end'_."

"No it doesn't." She said.

"Okay, maybe it doesn't say it quite that way." He relented. "Actually, it should say _'Sythe needs to learn to keep his mouth shut'_." Flack attempted to joke, but it didn't work and he took her hand. "Jess, you are worth it."

Angell let out a heavy sigh. "Don, I don't want you to give up an opportunity like this because of me."

"Us, Jess. Us." Flack clarified as he gently pulled her out of her chair and over to his.

"It's a great promotion, Don. A great opportunity you're passing up." She said, now sitting on his lap and feeling somewhat calmer staring into his blue eyes.

"It's a great promotion and opportunity... in Washington D.C." He clarified, staring into her warm brown eyes. "And I don't live in Washington D.C., so there's a problem there." Angell didn't respond, she didn't know what to say. "I'm here, and you're here, so the job's gotta be here. I'm staying here, Jess. With you." He stated before kissing her.

Angell returned the kiss with all the passion she could pour into it. She knew he was passing up this job because of her, well, their relationship, technically, and it made her love him even more. Without breaking the kiss, she shifted on his lap so she was straddling him.

Eventually Flack tilted his head back, in desperate need of oxygen. Angell began kissing his neck, sending his mind into immediate overdrive. They hadn't seen nearly enough of each other all week and between the close physical proximity and the the kissing, his mind wasn't the only thing in overdrive right now.

It was Angell's turn to tilt her head back in need of oxygen, giving Flack perfect access to her neck, which he immediately began kissing. Angell ran her fingers through his hair and held him close to her as her mind raced with thoughts she struggled to control.

"I want you." and "Stay." Were the simultaneous words they spoke to each other, then they just stared at each other for a moment, as their hearts raced, their breathing heavy.

Flack's hand slid under her top, resting on the soft warm skin of her back, his other hand rubbing her thigh as he kissed her again.

Angell's hand was on the back of his neck, keeping him pulled close to her, her other hand on his large right bicep as their kiss continued.

"Damn." They both mumbled in unison at hearing a phone ring.

"That's mine." Flack stated as she slowly got off his lap, allowing him to stand and reluctantly retrieve his phone to answer.

He turned back to her a moment later, "I've gotta go, Jess." He said, an apologetic and disappointed look on his face.

"Can you stay... for a few more minutes?" She asked, putting her hands back on his shoulders.

"Nadine says they're holding a man who was wielding an axe as he walked down the middle of a buy street." Flack explained, pulling her close again.

"I don't think his victims are going anywhere. They probably won't mind if you're delayed,... just a few minutes." She stated, pulling him in for a kiss and thinking about the way he needed her at that moment.

Flack understood what she was offering. He wanted her, he wanted to stay with her, and he was even a little shocked at her offer to tend to him in that way at that moment. Of course, as his brain was processing these things, he was backing her up against the refrigerator. "He's covered in blood,... but there's not a scratch on him... So I've gotta go... find his victims." He explained between kisses. Obviously only two homicide detectives could speak of such things without it ruining the moment.

"Between our schedules and the Fabric Law, It'll be-" She began to say as their lips parted.

"You'll be worth it." Flack interrupted, mumbling his words against one side of her neck. "Besides, Jess, I can guarantee you one things." He said, looking into her yes, "When I do finally get my hands on you,..." He paused, kissing her again, then she felt his hot breath on the other side of her neck as he whispered in her ear, "It's gonna take hours."

Angell felt her hands slide back down his strong shoulders as he slowly pulled away from her. He had to go, she knew that, it was the job and they both understood. That's part of what made them so great together. She watched him reach for one of the chocolate covered strawberries as he headed for the door, leaving her heart still racing.

**FAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFA**

If you need another Valentine's fix, let me remind you of my one-shot story "Flack & Angell's 1st Valentine's Day".

If you are reading my stories in order, as they are intended, then you already know that HUC stands for Flack's Hideously Ugly Chair that Angell loves to tease him about. And Flack's pillow is the one Angell had made for him for his birthday.

Yeah, I know 'Avabar' is a lame name for an avatar bar, but oh well. And I've decided to lay the groundwork for Adam having a girlfriend.

And now you know about the promotion Flack was offered - the reason Sythe kept calling him into his office in the last two chapters.

I hope you're as happy as I am that Caine is finally gone. I had originally planned on doing that several stories ago and had it all written out, but decided to save it and wait. In case you need help remembering, the part with Angell photographing Caine in the locker room was originally in story #7 "On-call x2".

Here's an excerpt with Flack at the gym with Caine from story #11 "The Mask"...  
It's a good thing the punching bag wasn't a perp or Flack would be charged with unnecessary force. The weights had been a good workout, but Flack needed the punching bag to get his heart rate up and let off some steam. He was just finishing when he noticed another guy leaning against his own punching bag to rest, but when he didn't move for a while. Flack walked over, just to make sure the guy was okay.


	15. Clowns

Woo-hoo! Just checks the Traffic for "Flangellized", and saw that it's had 4,241 hits so far. Thanks!

Chapter 14 reviews were unanimous... everyone was happy that Caine finally went down. I figured his embarrassing departure would make a nice Valentine's gift for both Flack and Angell. What will happen to him?... I need your help deciding that. See note at end.

Kinda surprised though that no one commented on Danika Patrick's comment on Danika Patrick while playing the character Liza Gray.

Yes, Flack's frequent trips to Sythe's office were about an offer of promotion to D.C., which Flack chose to pass up, because he'd rather be in NY with Angell. He loves her too much to leave her.

I got the name of chapter 14 from Flack's fortune cookie, but almost named it "Minutes vs. Hours" because,... well, never mind, I'm pretty sure you can figure out why.

Chapter 14 ended with Flack being called to a scene where a man was wielding an axe because this chapter contains the episode "Uncertainty Rules." I give Angell her own cases in most of my chapters, but in this one she will join in on this same case. Enjoy.

**FAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAAFFA**

"Clowns?" Flack repeated in disbelief, "That's what you're going with? Clowns? That's your official story?"

"They were trying to kill me." A blood covered James Roberts all but whispered in a shaky voice.

"Oh, so they were the homicidal-on-the-inside kinda clowns." Flack mocked as he got up from his chair and began pacing the interrogation room. "But hang on a second while I put out an APB for two guys with frizzy pink hair and big red noses." He added with animated hand gestures.

"No wonder I hate clowns." Angell stated, almost to herself as she stood with Mac and Stella outside the interrogation room window.

Mac gave her a sideways glance, as Stella spoke, "You hate clowns?" She asked in surprise.

"Oh, uh, well,... clowns, four brothers, Halloween night." She sort of explained to Stella before returning her gaze to the window as Roberts was rambling about seahorse and starfish.

"Thanks for coming in early to help us." Mac said to her.

"No problem. It's only nine hours until my shift starts anyway." Angell replied with a smirk.

"Well, it's gonna take all of us go figure out this puzzle. This guy is so high he had to be transported here in a body bag." Stella explained.

"Unfortunately, he's gonna be like this for another six to twelve hours, until he comes down from whatever it is he's on." Mac explained. "Angell, would you go with Danny and Hawkes to the crime scene?" He requested.

"Sure, Mac." Angell confirmed as Roberts' girlfriend Sara was being escorted over.

AT THE TRIBECA GRAND HOTEL...

"At least you'd have a reason to hate these clowns." Messer teased as he picked the mask up off the floor of room 218.

"Oh geez. That news sure spread fast." Angell smirked.

After taking notes as Messer and Hawkes figured out who was killed in what order, "So, someone else was in this room." Messer stated.

"One more mystery to figure out." Angell said, "I'm heading out, guys. I'm gonna go meet Lindsay for brunch. See ya later."

"Brunch. What is it with women and brunch, anyway?" Hawkes asked after Angell had left.

"Don't look at me. Just because I'm married, doesn't mean I've figured women out." Messer replied with a smirk.

AN HOUR LATER...

"The only detention they've seen is probably Manhattan's House of Detention" Messer said to Hawkes in the layout room.

"And what would you know about Manhattan's House of Detention?" Monroe asked her husband, her arms folded across herself,as she and Angell stood in the doorway.

Messer spun around to face his wife, "Oh, hi, Linds. How was breakfast? Uh, lunch? Er, I mean brunch?" He asked, avoiding answering the question.

"Smooth, Danny. Smooth." Hawkes mumbled from behind him.

Messer turned around to give Hawkes a 'shut up' look and Linsay smirked in amusement at her husband's nervousness.

"Thanks for the ride back, Lindsay. We all still on for dinner tonight?" Angell confirmed before leaving.

"Hey, Danny, Hawkes." Flack greets a little while later as he now enters the lab. "You seen Angell?"

"No, man. You just missed her. I think she headed back to the bullpen." Messer answered. "Hey," He says, stopping Flack as he was about to leave. "I need some gift ideas."

"For what occasion?" Flack asked, re-entering the room.

"Lindsay and I, our first anniversary is coming up. I wanna do something special, but I'm all out of ideas." Messer said in exasperation.

"Out of ideas?" Hawkes repeats.

"Yeah, man. I barely get past Christmas, and next thing I know it's Lindsay's birthday, then I turn around and it's Valentine's Day, now it's our anniversary already." Messer said. "It's like... Boom, boom, boom, boom. I'm all gift-idea tapped." He added with a sigh.

"When it comes to women, it's all about romance." Hawkes advises.

Flack nods, "Listen to him. He's right." He advises.

MEANWHILE...

Angell was once again watching James Roberts through the interrogation room window. He was still somewhat high, even thought it had been nearly twelve hours since being taken into custody and Mac was trying to ask him about he LSD he'd taken.

"Thought I'd find you here." Flack said a few minutes later, effectively pulling Angell out of her daze. Watching Roberts freak out over a fly and stare at his hands hadn't held her attention for long and she found her mind drifting to her boyfriend's upcoming birthday and what she would get him.

"Just thinking about my brunch with Lindsay earlier." She lied, although there was something about it that bothered her that she had intended on asking him about anyway, so it was an ideal cover.

"What's up?" He asked, leaning against the window frame, sensing there was something more than food that took place during the ladies' meal.

"I'm not quite sure." She began, then went on to tell him how she and Lindsay were having a nice visit, then all of the sudden Lindsay said she needed to leave. "I'm not sure if I did or said something. It just seemed,... odd."

Flack quietly nodded before eventually speaking, "I think I know what this is about." He began, then explained as they both walked back to the lab for a meeting. "Remember when Lindsay went back to Montana to testify?"

"The trial for that guy that killed her friends." Angell confirmed.

" That's right." He continued as they walked, "Well, the only reason she didn't die too was because she'd gotten up to go wash her hands. Ya see, it was her friend Kelly's first summer away. Lindsay could tell she was nervous because she kept playing with the sugar packets on the table. Anyway, she eventually broke one of them open and sugar got on the table, Lindsay got sugar on her hands, then picked up her soda glass which got her hands sticky."

"... which is why she was in the bathroom washing her hands when her friends were all killed." Angell finished for him as if a light bulb had just gone on over her head.

Flack nodded a confirmation, "Danny told me that whenever they go anywhere to eat, the first thing he does is remove that little container of sugar packets from their table."

"Oh geez, I did do something wrong." Angell said, guilt in her voice.

Flack stopped their walking with a hand on her shoulder, "No you didn't, Jess."

"I did, Don." She refuted, "I ordered iced tea an-"

"You didn't know, Jess." He said in a soothing tone. Angell sighed, but didn't speak. "Come on, we've got a meeting to get to." He added, hoping a diversion would help at the moment.

A FEW MINUTES LATER...

"Or, they were the party, hired to blow out the birthday boys, candle." Messer said at the meeting, causing several faces around the table to blush just as Adam came into the room to discuss a photo he had managed to salvage from a cell phone.

"What is that? A Golden Girls' reunion?" Messer asked and the next thing they knew they were all on their way to the Wesleyshire House.

"I beg to differ." An elderly man kept saying as the elderly lady kept eyeing Flack and Messer.

"We play high stakes here." The elderly woman said. "He won that twenty-five thousand fair and square, so I insisted he take it."

AN HOUR LATER...

"Easiest money I ever made." Calvin Moore stated.

"Who helped you?" Angell asked.

"Hey! I only work solo." Moore insisted.

After what seemed like a round of 'Who's On First' Moore had finally explained about being paid to let the birthday boy win a round in the ring, and they had one more piece of the puzzle figured out. Now, on to the next piece.

"So, he remembers riding a bull, and we end up here." Angell said as a blond waitress eyed her boyfriend.

"Cosmo or Appletini?" The brunette bartender asked Flack.

"Tequila Sunrise, actually." Angell answered without looking up as she slapped James, Mark, and Daniel's photos onto the bar. "You see these guys in here last night?"

After learning of the boys' meeting with Pedro the previous night, Flack and Angell turned to leave. "Bye, cowboy." The bartender called out.

Angell turned to say something, "Ignore it, sweetheart." Flack said, keeping his hand on her lower back as they resumed their path to the door. "I've heard Lindsay call Danny that, and I just cannot let my brain go there."

Angell smirked, before answering her ringing phone, to learn of what Stella termed 'a cab vs. a lamp post'. Apparently the lamp post won.

ANOTHER HOUR LATER...

"Alright, I'll start." Flack began, as he, Angell, and Messer stood before a very large but quiet body guard at Rufus Knox's door. "Me and my partner here are recruiting on behalf of the NYPD, lookin' for a couple of good guys to do some undercover work. You know, inconspicuous types who blend in. I think you got what it takes. You interested?"

The large man just stood there stonefaced until Knox ordered him to, "Let 'em in."

Knox wasn't much help, except for bragging about having eyes all over the city as his eyes were all over Angell. "Some crazy B went all Paul Bunyan in them girls." He bragged.

"Guess that makes you Babe the Blue Ox." Flack countered. Little did he know they'd be coming back there very soon. Well, as soon as Hawkes finished finding Knox's skin cells all over the handle of the axe via laser micro-disection. But by then Knox and his body guard were gone.

It was late now and Angell had accompanied Roberts and Mac as they went for coffee while Flack and Messer returned to Knox's apartment. Mac dropping his coffee cup got her attention and she quickly looked up to see both Knox and his body guard drawing their guns. Mac shot the body guard who went flying through the front window of a store, while Angell pulled Roberts down to safety behind a large planter on the sidewalk. While Mac shot it out with Knox, Angell went to cuff the body guard and secure his gun. Unfortunately that left Roberts unattended, but who knew he'd cross the street and pick up a gun.

AFTERWARDS...

"That was a weird case, I'm glad it's over." Flack said from his kitchen as he made dinner, but noticed he didn't get a response. "Jess." He called to her as she set the table. "You couldn't have stopped Roberts from picking up that gun." Angell looked up at him and nodded, she knew it was true. "That body guard was a big guy. You were lucky to get him cuffed before he came to."

"I know." She said. "It sure is hard to think of two guys that just wanna help their friend celebrate his birthday, becoming collateral damage like that." She looked up at hearing a knock, "The Messers are here."

Flack's wonderful spaghetti was piled onto plates as the friends gathered for another dinner together and talked about how they all decided to becomes cops.

Everyone knew about the legendary Donald Flack, Sr., so Flack's story was already widely known and little he could add.

Messer's father had also been a cop, so he was another one to follow in those shoes after an injury ended his budding baseball career.

Although Monroe's uncle was a Sheriff, she was raised on the family farm. However, learning about agriculture began her fascination with science, so she felt like she was combining the best of two worlds by becoming a Detective CSI.

Angell's father was a Detective Sargeant. "I knew there was so much more he wanted to do." She said, referring to her father's forced retirement do to being shot in the line of duty. "And none of my brothers had any interest in being a cop."

"So that put the ball in your court?" Messer asked as he put more green beans on Lucy's high chair tray.

"Sort of." Angell said. "I mean, I was the youngest, the only one not set on a career choice yet, so it's not like that option was going to get passed down to the next in line. Besides, it's not like it took much to convince me." Angell paused, deep in thought, "I remember, my first day as a rookie. My Lieutenant immediately asked me if I was Detective Sergeant Cliff Angell's daughter."

"Ouch." Flack said, knowing how she would never ride on her father's coattails or reputation.

Angell nodded, understanding his comment. "I told him, 'Sir, your introducing me at roll call as Officer Detective-Sergeant-Cliff-Angell's-Daughter might be a bit of a mouthfull. May I suggest just 'Officer Angell'?', and he actually asked me if I was sure." She said with an eye roll at that last part. "I told him, 'I'm here to do my job, sir, not be Cliff Angell's daughter'."

"On another subject," Lindsay began as she wiped spaghetti sauce from Lucy's hands, "What's going to happen to Detective Caine now?"

Lindsay's question put a smile on both Flack and Angell's faces. "I have no idea, and I don't care, as long as he's gone." Flack stated.

"Well, I for one am hoping for some disciplinary action." Angell began, "I mean, if they just force him to transfer, then the problem just goes somewhere else."

"Right, right." Danny agreed, putting his fork down, "And he just begins his usual ways, causing problems for the women in another precinct."

"Exactly." Angell confirmed, passing Flack the bread sticks, "He needs to learn his lesson and change. It's such a waste otherwise, because he really can be a good cop."

"It'd be a shame to waste those skills in law enforcement, but not at the expense of subjecting the women he works with to him." Lindsay said, removing Lucy from her high chair.

"Lieutenant Sythe said he hasn't made up his mind yet. He's gotta run all his options by the disciplinary board first." Flack said.

"He'll let us know soon." Angell said.

"Wow." Messer called out to Flack almost an hour later as he stood in the hall to put his coat on. "When did you get that done?" He asked, as his friend approached, referring to the large framed painting hanging on the wall.

"Jess surprised me with it for Valentine's Day." Flack answered, while retrieving Lindsay's coat for her from the hall closet. "I need to find a better spot to hang it, thought."

"It's... wait a minute." Messer said, now touching the 'painting'. "This is a print." He observed.

"Realistic, huh. Only looks like a painting. The magic of Photoshop." Flack informed him.

"You two look, ya know... pretty happy together." Messer said in a teasing tone as he rocked back on his heels, causing Flack to wonder what his friend was getting at. "I mean, a painting, uh, picture like that... a very large picture like that, says, ya know... permanent."

_'Permanent.'_ Flack let the word echo in his mind before just smiling at his friend and walking away. He had thought the exact same thing.

**FAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFA**

In the episode "The Party's Over" Danny tells Stella (in regards to the Blue Flu) that his dad was a cop, too.

A while ago, I watched the episode where Lindsay goes back to Montana to testify and was wondering... why would a teenage girl randomly need to wash her hands? Convenient for script writing and Lindsay's survival, I know that, but it just wasn't explained very well.

So, I'd like to know what all of you think should happen to Caine. Fired? Transferred? Gets to stay by taking Sexual Harassment classes? Other ideas? Please let me know what you think.

Coming in the next chapter; the episode "Pot Of God", Flack's birthday, and Danny & Lindsay's first anniversary.


	16. St Patrick's Day

My thanks to those of you who let me know what you think should happen to Caine. You will find out the 1st of 3 things in this chapter.

Yes, the 'painting' Angell gave Flack for Valentine's Day was from one of the photos taken of them at Central Park.

This chapter contains the episode "Pot Of Gold", a visit from Angell's friend Detective Susan Gerber, the Messers first anniversary because the episode that included them getting married originally aired March 10th, and concludes with Flack's birthday on 's Day.

FAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFA

"You sure you don't want some of my famous chili, Don?" Jacob Angell tempted his sister's boyfriend who currently sat in his bar.

"Can't, Jacob." Flack replied as he looked out the window again. He was waiting for Angell to arrive. "As soon as Jess gets here, we've got dinner plans. But thanks anyway." He explained and Jacob gave Flack a nod as he continued wiping the counter with a towel. "So, when is the baby due?"

Jacob smiled at the mental image of his pregnant wife, "Four more months." He answered, throwing the towel over his shoulder. "Jenna has been sewing curtains for the nursery and stitching baby-sized quilts for the crib for weeks now. She has an ultrasound in two weeks and we think we might get to find out if it's a boy or a girl."

"Any preference?" Flack inquired.

"Nah. Just as long as both come home from the hospital healthy." Jacob said before nodding to the window.

Flack turned to see Angell coming through the door and rose to greet her, "Hey, sweetheart." He said before kissing her.

"Hey, handsome." She greeted in return, then turned to her brother, "Hey, Jacob. I talked to Jenna earlier today. She sure is excited about the ultrasound next week."

"Yeah, she is. I was just telling Don about that." Jacob replied.

"We gotta go, Jess." Don said, indicating the time. "Our reservation is in just a few minutes. Jason said we could just leave the cars in his lot and walk the three blocks to the restaurant." He explained, then out the door they went.

"Green?" Flack questioned as they walked, half way to the restaurant, and in reference to her shoes, which he always noticed when they went out.

"I break them out every March, for St. Patrick's day." She informed him.

"Yeah, I think I remember those from last year, when you brought me to APB for my birthday." Flack said as they crossed the street.

"Speaking of which,..." Angell said.

"What? You got plans for me again?" He inquired.

"Mhmm." She mumbled with a nod as they approached the restaurant.

"Well,... you going to tell me what it is?" Flack asked as he opened the door for her.

Angell walked through the door, stopped, turned back to him, "Nope." she said with a smirk before turning back around to the hostess that was there to greet them.

Homicide detectives saw lots of gruesome things every day, things that rubbed off on you and invaded your mind if you weren't careful. So, whenever Flack got the chance, he took Angell out. There was nothing like watching red wine rush over her red lips to make him forget about a pale lifeless body he'd seen dumped in an alley. There was nothing like being mesmerized by candlelight reflected in her soft brown curls to remind him there were good and innocent people to protect. There was noting like holding her close on the dance floor as their bodies swayed to soft music, to make him feel close to humanity again.

"So, this Friday, we're babysitting Lucy. Right?" Angell sought to confirm as they exited the restaurant two hours later, back out into the cold dark night.

"Yep. Danny's excited. Asked me to give you his advanced 'thanks'." Flack said, extending his arm to her.

"Well, it's nice they can go out and do something special for their first anniversary. That's quite an accomplishment these days, especially since they got married with a baby on the way." Angell said, looping her gloved hand through his arm.

"Doesn't give them much time together." Flack said, "As a couple, I mean." He added to clarify.

"Well, ideally, it would be nice for any couple to have time together before they have kids." Angell commented as they crossed the street.

"Is that what you want?" Flack asked.

"Is what, what I want?" Angell asked, needing clarification on what he meant.

"For us to have lots of time together before having kids." Flack clarified as they continued walking, now entering the lot where their cars were waiting. He kept his gaze straight ahead, trying to hide the fact that he was a bit nervous at the topic. He'd actually surprised himself by asking her that question and now his heart rate was speeding up as he waited for her answer.

Angell was sure she was blushing and stopped walking as they approached her car, causing him to as well and he turned to face her. "I think kids are a wonderful blessing, Don. But, they are also a lot of work. We both have demanding jobs with crazy schedules, and once you bring a child into that,..." Angell paused, not quite sure how to finish her own sentence. She loved the idea of having kids, and having them with him, she just wasn't in any hurry.

"They're time consuming." Flack stated before she could resumed her sentence.

"I just want us to have time together while we can. Time we can't get back once we... once kids come, everything changes." She said.

Flack just nodded in agreement before kissing her. He knew they were on the same page and nothing more needed to be said, but he desperately wanted to kiss her again.

"I don't want to give you the wrong impression, Don. I want kids, I really do. But right now," Angell paused, searching for the correct words. "I guess I just like to focus on one thing at a time in my life."

"And what are you focusing on right now?" He asked.

Angell leaned in and brushed his lips with hers before answering, "Us."

Angell was wedged between Flack and her car, her head leaned back against his right arm on the edge of the car's roof, ideal for looking up into his blue eyes between kisses. His gloved left hand on the side of her face, his thumb rubbing her cold cheek. She ran her gloved hand across his neck, and would have played with his hair, but he'd just had it trimmed. Her face was cold from the wind as were her feet, despite her cute for St. Patrick's Day shoes. Yet her body felt warm with him pressed against her and she wanted to focus on his hand now wrapping to the back of her neck instead of the phone she felt vibrating in her coat pocket.

Flack's hands slowly released her, although his gaze didn't, so she could answer her phone. Her on-call shift had started ten minutes ago.

FRIDAY EVENING...

"Danny's next door picking-up his order of Girl Scout cookies." Monroe informed Flack as he hung his coat in their closet. "We'll be ready to go as soon as he gets back."

"Is he getting the chocolate mint ones? 'Cause I love those. Scagnetti always brings those things into the precinct every year. I think his granddaughter sells them." Flack said with a smirk.

"I have no idea what kind he's getting. All I know is he's bought too many of them already." Monroe said with a smirk at her husbands lack of will power. "What's that look for?" She asked, noticing Flack had a smirk of his own.

He grinned, "I was just remember Mr. Angell telling me how he tried and tried to convince Jess that she should join Girl Scouts." Flack explained.

"Did she?" Monroe asked while she busied herself around her apartment, getting ready to leave once her husband got back.

Flack shook his head, "Nope. She played short stop instead. Preferred earning trophies over badges, I guess."

"Sounds like Angell." Monroe said, folding Lucy's blanket. "Where is she anyway. You're not gonna try doing this baby sitting duty alone are you?"

"No way." Flack immediately assured her, and himself. "She's picking up Chinese and will be here soon."

"Just don't give any of that stuff to Lucy. Danny gave her one of those greasy egg rolls recently and he was stuck on diaper duty for the night." Monroe said, watching him make a face. "And since this baby sitting gift you offered includes diaper changes, I suggest you do yourself a favor and stick to the baby food I left on the kitchen counter." She added and watched him nod in understanding as her husband walked through the door.

"I'm back." Messer announced, carrying his cookie haul. "You ready to go?" He asked his wife, setting the cookies on the counter.

"Yep." She answered, then decided she'd better give Flack a few reminders and began talking without looking up as she put her shoes and coat on. "Okay, you gotta remember that she can get into just about anything these days. Watch the bookshelves, because we caught her trying to climb them the other day. And don't forget -"

"Linds," Messer said, touching her arm, "I think he's got it." He added, gesturing to Lucy sitting on Flack's lap as they played peek-a-boo. They left without another word.

Angell entered the Messer's apartment forty minutes later. She set the Chinese food on the table and went in search of her boyfriend. She found him in the living room reading Lucy an alphabet book and her mind went back to their previous conversation about having kids. She knew he was going to make a great father some day.

"Hey, you're here." Flack said, looking up from the book and causing Lucy to turn and see who he was talking to. "Just in time."

"Why? You gonna turn into a pumpkin or something?" She teased.

"No, but Lucy might if we don't keep her on the schedule Lindsay left taped on the refrigerator that says she must eat at exactly six thirty." He explained.

Flack put Lucy in her high chair as Angell opened up the jars of baby food her parents had left out for her dinner. Angell handed the jars to Flack, who made a face once he looked at them. "She's actually gonna eat this stuff?" He asked with a grimace, holding the jars at arms length, as far away from his nose as possible. "I wonder if she can eat fried rice?"

"I'm pretty sure this whole baby sitting gift we're doing tonight, should include giving her back to her parents... without a stomach ache." Angell said, handing him a baby spoon.

Another forty minutes later Angell was washing baby food off Lucy's hands and face as Flack was trying to get it out of his hair. He hadn't realized feeding a baby was half food consumption, half play.

"Awls." Lucy kept saying, but neither adult could figure out what that meant. They knew they could call her parents and just ask, but didn't want to resort to that. This was their first anniversary and an evening out to have a nice dinner while their daughter was being taken care of. They didn't want to interrupt that with a ringing phone.

"She just keeps saying it, Jess. I have no idea what 'awls' are."

Angell let out a sigh, she didn't know either. "Maybe we should just call."

"I have an idea." Flack stated as he grabbed his cell phone.

Messer set his fork down to looked at the text on his phone... What are 'awls'?

"Everything okay?" Monroe asked her husband.

"Yeah, yeah, babe. Everything's fine." He answered, handing his phone across the table for her to read the message.

"Awls?" She mused out loud. "Maybe she want's her stuffed owl."

Messer sent a text back and got an quick reply... 'awls' not 'owls', besides, Jess already tried the owl. Didn't work.

"Awls, awls, awls." Monroe kept mumbling to herself as she tried to picture her daughter saying it. "I got it." She suddenly said, taking the phone from her husband.

Flack picked-up his beeping phone. "How the heck do you get 'animals' out of 'awls'?" He asked.

"Awls." Lucy said again with a nod.

"Maybe this is it." Angell hoped as she held up a book about animals.

"Awls." Lucy squealed as she clapped her hands.

Once Lucy's new book about animals had been read to her, the rest of their evening consisted of two stuffed lavender bunnies, red blocks, two diaper changes, another book, another round of peek-a-boo, a sippy-cup of apple juice, and pajamas as soon as Lucy stuck her thumb in her mouth to indicate she was getting tired.

The Messers entered their apartment quietly at 10:30. Finding their daughter sound asleep in her crib, curled up with her favorite blanket and her babysitters sound asleep on the couch, curled up with each other. Both parents looked at each other and wondered if the babysitters had worn their daughter out, or the other way around.

MONDAY MORNING...

"Everyone, I'd like you all to meet Detective Emilio Cruz." Lieutenant Sythe said after getting the attention of everyone in the bullpen. He didn't usually make announcements there, but it was unusually quiet and civilian-free at the moment, so it was the easiest way to introduce the new guy. "Cruz just got his Detective shield and has been assigned to the 12th while Caine is,... well, while Caine is taking some classes." He didn't need to mention what kind of classes, even the new guy had probably heard about it. To get his job back, some day, Caine was required to begin with a class on Sensitivity In The Work Place. "I will be pairing Cruz up with most of you, as you are available, and I'm looking forward to each of you sharing your experience and wisdom with him." When Sythe concluded several officers and detectives that stood nearby shook hands with the new guy.

"They should call the class 'How To Not Be A Chauvinistic Pig'." Angell said to Flack in a low voice and watched him nod.

"Hopefully just the beginning of many hoops I.A. makes him jump through before giving him his job back." Flack said, also in a low voice.

"Flack." Sythe said as he approached. "You got those DD-5's for me?"

Flack looked down at the pile of papers on his desk, "Um, not yet, sir."

"Well, I suggest you take a seat and get busy. I want those 5's on my desk before another call comes in." Sythe ordered.

"Detective Angell, these just came in for you. A lead on that rapist." Sythe said, handing her the papers. "And take Cruz with you."

"It's nice to meet you, Detective Cruz." Angell said with an extended hand as Sythe headed back to his office. "This is Detective Flack." After greetings were exchanged, "I have to get this filed, then we can go. I'll be right back." She said before heading across the bullpen with her paperwork.

"So, how's the 12th treating you so far?" Flack asked as he was seated at his desk.

"Everything's great so far. Of course, it's just my first day." He joked.

"I'm sure you'll enjoy working here." Flack said as he began to sift through papers as Angell returned. She retrieved her gun from the locked drawer of her desk and left with the new detective.

TWO HOURS LATER...

"I said walk faster, you scum bag!" Angell yelled as she pushed the cuffed perp through the bullpen towards booking, causing everyone to turn and watch. "I said move it, you dirty piece of-!"

"Angell!" The Lieutenant called out as they passed his office.

"Get him to booking." She instructed the two uniformed officers who were following them in. "Yes, sir." She said as Sythe approached.

"Everything okay?" He asked in a calm tone to match her sudden change in demeanor.

"Oh, yes sir. Cruz did just fine." She said.

"Thanks. But that wasn't exactly what I meant." He said, gesturing towards booking.

"Oh, him." She said with an arched brow at realizing what he was asking about. "Busted a door down to find him raping a twelve year old girl." She said calmly, but with a look of disgust on her face.

"I see." Sythe returned, still matching her calm tone. "Well then, you'd better get him through booking, Detective." He added, then, "Oh, uh, how's the girl?" He asked, but she only gave him a frown before walking away. After she left he called Cruz over, who approached with Flack and Chebouski in tow. "What happened?" He asked him.

"Wow." He began with a deep breath, "That Detective Angell sure knows how to kick down a door, that's for sure." He paused again as if expecting some sort of comment from one of the men, but got none so he continued, "We entered and found the perp raping a young girl. There was no 'Freeze!', there was no 'NYPD!', there was no 'Get off her!', there was just Detective Angell flying across the room and tackling that sicko." He explained. "Girl turned out to be only twelve. She's at Trinity right now. Detective Angell said she'd go back later and talk to her alone."

Sythe slowly tuned back to his office, a mixed look on his face of sadness and disgust.

"Is she always like that?" Cruz asked Flack and Chebouski.

"Like what?" The both asked.

"Detective Angell. Is she always 'kick ass now, ask questions later'?" Cruz asked.

Both men shook their heads, "Yeah, pretty much." They agreed.

LATER AT THE LAB...

"... so later Chebouski thinks it's funny to assign the new guy to go out on a call with me." Flack rambled, "Are you even listening to me?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm listening. I can do two things at once, ya know." Messer whined, without looking up from the microscope.

"Okay, so I'm out on this call, which thankfully didn't take very long, because Cruz is just going on and on about how great it was to be with Angell earlier, and about how cool she was kicking down that door, and about how pretty she is, and about how she-"

"Boom!" Messer suddenly shouted.

"Oh, geez, Danny!" Bonasara yelled from across the room as the test tube she'd just dropped shattered on the floor.

"Oh, sorry, Stella." Messer replied in a sheepish tone. "Didn't meant to startle ya." He added, a little louder as he had to talk over Flack's laughter.

"I thought Lindsay cured you of that." She said, bending down to pick up the broken glass. "You're just lucky that tube was empty and not full of evidence."

MEANWHILE...

"Hey, Chebouski,... can you assign me to work with Detective Angell again?" Cruz quietly requested of his senior officer.

"Lieutenant wants you to work a little with everyone, get lots of different levels of experience and input that way." Chebouski clarified.

"Yeah, I know. But that Angell, whoa, she's..." Cruz paused, knowing if he came right out and said she was 'hot' he'd never be assigned to work with her again, so he proceeded with caution, "... got lots of experience. I could learn a lot from her. After all, it's good to learn from the best, right?" He added, hoping to justify his request.

As Chebouski eyed Flack entering the far door to the bullpen, he decided it was time the new guy learned a lesson, one he was bound to learn anyway, so why not now... and why not have some fun at the same time. "Cruz, I'm about to do you a favor here." He said.

"Yes." Cruz said with a grin. "I knew I could count on you to help me out."

"I'm gonna do two things for ya, kid. First, I'm gonna clue you in that Detective Angell is already in a serious relationship with someone." He said, watching Cruz's countenance fall. "That's right, you're pining after a woman who's spoken for. And she's dating a wonderful guy; he's real tall, nice head of thick black hair, l suppose lots of women go crazy over those piercing blue eyes of his." Chebouski wondered how many more adjectives he could come up with to describe Flack, after all, he wasn't exactly used to talking that way about another guy.

"Okay," Cruz interrupted, "so he's a real looker." Cruz was a good looking guy himself, so he didn't exactly feel threatened by the description he was being given.

"He also carries a badge and a gun." Chebouski added with a stern glare as he waved Flack over. "The second thing I'm gonna do for you is to pair you up with Detective Flack again." He paused, holding out a paper to Flack as he approached. "Lieutenant said to give you this,... oh, and to take Cruz with you."

Flack's piercing blue eyes looked at the new Detective that would be his shadow again and sighed. He was less than thrilled and knew that if the new guy kept spouting off about his girlfriend that he just might have to shut him up, one way or another. "Come on, Cruz."

Cruz began to follow Flack, then stopped and turned back to Chebouski with the sudden realization of who Detective Angell is dating. Chebouski just waved and smiled back at him.

"Move it, Cruz!" Flack shouted without looking back.

THAT EVENING...

"Those cases are never easy, Jessica." Her friend Detective Susan Gerber said in a sympathetic tone as they sat across from each other in the deli.

"I know, Susan, but, she was only twelve." Angell replied in a tired and frustrated tone. "Now she's gonna be scarred for life. If only we'd gotten there earlier, none of that would have happened to her."

Gerber pondered for a moment over what to say, knowing nothing was going to take away her friend's frustration any time soon. Next best thing when nothing you say will be right anyway, change topics. "I know, and you're right, but time will help her." She paused, not wanting to be too obvious, "So, tell me how things are going between you and Don. I don't see an engagement ring yet."

Angell rolled her eyes, "You sound like Jenna,... and Madeleine,... and Kate." She said, diverting her eyes down to the menu in front of her.

"Yeah, well. He's hot,... and you've been going out a long time now." Gerber said, picking up her menu. "Have you two even talked about it yet?"

"About marriage?" Angell asked. Gerber just nodded. "No. Well, not exactly." She mumbled.

"Not exactly." Gerber repeated. "What exactly do you mean by 'not exactly'?"

Angell felt a blush creep to her face and she couldn't help but smile. "Okay, but you have to promise that this is just between you and me." She watched as her friend cocked her head to one side with an 'are you serous' look on her face, and knew that if she was standing at the moment that her hands would be on her hips as well. "Okay." She sighed, "You and me... and Kate." The three women were best friends and there was no keeping secrets from each other, ever.

Gerber's face broke into a slow smile, "Spill." She ordered, setting down her menu and leaning forward slightly, obviously in great anticipation over what her friend was about to tell her.

Angell again felt herself blushing, "Well, the word 'marriage' hasn't exactly been said, but-" She paused, taking a deep breath, "Other topics have come up." She paused again, taking in the look on her friend's face that obviously read 'keep going', so she did. "We have however, talked about the fact that we are each looking for a long-term serious relationship, and we've talked about kids a few times now."

"Well, I'd say 'till death do us part' is pretty long-term and permanent." Gerber said with a huge smile

"Yeah, it is. And we both want to be ready so that when that day does happen for us, that we last 'till death do us part'." Angell commented.

"Does he want kids, too?" Gerber asked, "I mean, I assume you do." She added.

"Yeah, we both do. Two of 'em, we've agreed. But not until after we've had time with just the two of us." Angell said, picking up her menu again. "Part of me is really excited and hoping he'll ask me soon, the other part is kinda scared." She admitted.

"Scared of what?" Gerber inquired, setting her menu down again. At the rate they were going, they would never get their dinner ordered.

Angell shrugged a little, "I'm not really sure. It's all so exciting because I love Don and we're on the same page about what we want to happen between us,... but, it's also a little scary to think about."

Gerber nodded, "Yeah, but it's a good kind of scary." She said with a smile as their waitress approached.

After their dinner had arrived, "I should bring Don here for his birthday." Angell stated, looking at her friends plate.

"When's that?" Gerber inquired, remembering meeting Don for the first time last year on his birthday at APB.

"The seventeenth." Angell answered.

"How Irish can that Irish boy get." Gerber teased.

"His mom always makes his favorite corned beef dinner for his birthday, but she's in Maine right now, helping take care of her sister after knee surgery." Angell explained.

"Ah, I get it." Gerber said, looking down at her own dinner. "Or, you could cook for him." She joked, which fell flat as Angell just rolled her eyes. "Okay, bad idea. Corned beef here at the deli it is."

As Angell and Gerber were about to exit the deli they crossed paths with Mac, who was also leaving. "Does that hurried pace of yours mean Don won't be available this evening?" Angell asked him.

He shrugged a bit, "Sorry, Angell." He said before continuing on his way.

"Well, you can always go to the movies with me." Gerber offered and Angell nodded. "Look at it this way," She said as they began to walk, "at least with me, you'll actually get to see the movie."

TWO DAYS LATER...

"I swear, Jess, this has been a strange case from the beginning." Flack said into the phone as he sat with his feet up at his desk. "From the gold bars and four-leafed clover, to green organic beer, to the proverbial luck of the Irish. But I can guarantee you one thing about this case, those men were not killed by a cop. I've cleared all tours, besides, the one vic was shot with a 22."

"Cops don't carry a 22. As soon as ballistics came back with a bullet from a 22, Mac should've know it wasn't a cop." Angell said from the couch in her living room, since it was her day off.

"Yeah, but he's got an eye-witness that says it was." Flack stated in frustration, partly because he never wanted to believe a cop could do something like this to disgrace the badge they all wore. "So, you were right, Jess, your case wasn't closed." He said to change the subject.

"Yeah, turned out Mr. Pervert had a perverted partner." She said in disgust.

"How's the girl?" He asked, knowing what had really been bothering her.

"She's getting better. Her mother is gonna make sure she gets the counseling she needs." She answered, a thought that at least made her feel better. "Hey, I was thinking about heading down to the 's Day parade later. Can you get away?"

"Hold that thought, Jess, I've got Mac calling on the other line." Flack said before putting her on hold, then coming back. "Good thought, sweetheart, but I've gotta head out to Battery Park to arrest someone."

TWO HOURS LATER...

Finnegan Hansard stopped serving green beer long enough to throw green money into the crowded bar to assist in his escape. But Flack and Messer had other plans and weren't about to let him get away.

Angell was enjoying the Law Enforcement Bag-Pipe Players when suddenly there was quite a disturbance as a man came crashing through the crowd guard and right into the parade, followed closely by Flack, who took out the precariously tipsy leprechaun mascot, then by Messer.

Flack caught up to a winded Hansard in a short alley soon after. Hansard's hopes of making another break for it were short lived due to what looked like part of the parade standing behind Flack. Since when do bag-pipers carry guns, he wondered.

Since that part of the parade that stood behind Flack included Angell, that meant that she, too, was now sitting in the bullpen surrounded by grumpy bag-pipe playing cops in kilts, filling out forms. "So, think that leprechaun will press charges against me?" Flack joked as he approached.

"I don't know, but someone should for that 'Irishman scorned' comment you just made in interrogation." She deadpanned.

Flack did a mock-stab to the heart, "Aw, come on, Jess. You know us Irishmen are sensitive."

"What I know is," She began as she stood, her paperwork finished, "That you are the birthday boy and I'm taking you out of here."

AT THE DELI...

"You were right, Jess." Flack said, between mouthfuls of corned beef, "I do miss my mom's cooking."

Angell had to laugh, just a little, mostly to herself, because she had been right. "I had a feeling you missed her annual birthday dinner for you." Flack nodded, his mouth once again full. "And this probably isn't as good as hers, but anything beats my cooking."

"This is a close second, actually." He stated, avoiding going anywhere near the topic of his girlfriend's cooking. "I've had a lot of corned beef in my time, and this is good."

"Come on." Angell said an hour later as she slid out of the booth. "Green beer awaits."

"There's more?" Flack questioned, putting his napkin down.

"Mhmm." She answered, grabbing the check before he could attempt to, after all, it was his birthday. "Follow me." She instructed, and he happily obeyed, his hand on her lower back as they headed for the door.

"Hi, Mac." Flack greeted in surprise as they neared the door.

"Happy Birthday, Flack." Mac said. "Nice shoes, Angell." He added, referring to her green stilettos peeking out beneath her black jeans.

"Thanks. But if you're here for the corned beef, you're too late. Don at ate it all." She joked, which made both men laugh.

"I'll remember that when I order." He said.

"So, you meeting anyone here." Flack ventured, picturing Mac and Stella sitting across from each other just like he and Angell just were.

Mac blushed a bit and cleared his throat before answering, "Yeah." was all he said.

"Well, have fun, you two." Angell said with a smirk before they continued on their way.

The drive to their next destination was short, due in part to surprisingly light traffic. "Uh, Jess,... Floor Thirteen? Are you serious?" Flack asked in surprise as they pulled into the lot of the very exclusive club. "This place is crazy to even try to get into."

Angell didn't answer him, just smiled before getting out of her car. Flack followed as instructed. He felt his anxiety rising as they walked towards the entrance, not because of the club exactly, but that it was obvious his girlfriend wanted them to get into the club for his birthday and he didn't know if that was going to happen. He didn't want her to feel bad or be embarrassed if they couldn't, which was likely.

Angell walked them past the crowd of people gathered outside the main entrance, all hoping for a chance to get in. She continued to a small door just beyond and knocked. The door opened, a large man, obviously a bouncer answered and she wordlessly handed him a card. The bouncer looked at the card and nodded, stepping aside for them to enter.

Still stunned, Flack wordlessly continued to follow his girlfriend and the bouncer down a long hallway and up a flight of stairs. The bouncer stopped in front of a door, which he unlocked for them before handing Angell the key, then he left, having never said a word.

The room wasn't big, but was furnished with a seating area in one corner and a bar in the other. A table and chairs filled the center of the room. Opposite the door was a large window that looked down onto the dance floor that was a sea of people all moving in rhythm to the music as their bodies were illuminated spiratically by the flashing green lights that were part of the 's Day decor.

"Good evening." Came the greeting from whom Flack assumed was a waitress as she stood at the doorway in her green outfit. "I'm Cindy, and just wanted to make sure you had everything you needed."

"I think we're good for now. Thanks, Cindy." Angell said to her.

"Okay. Well, the bar is fully stocked, so you can help yourself, or if you'd like me to make a drink for you, just push this button here by the door. Right next to it are the controls for the lights and music, so you can dance up here or down on the floor. Have fun." She said cheerfully before leaving, shutting the door behind her.

He wasn't quite sure how she did it, but here they were in a private room in one of the most exclusive clubs in New York for his birthday.  
He hung his coat on the back of one of the chairs, then turned out the lights. The only lighting in the room now, besides a small lamp on the bar, was the pulsing green coming through the window, illuminating her perfect figure. "Do I even wanna know how you pulled this off?" He asked, slowly walked over and taking her in his arms.

She shrugged as he approached her, "I have a C.I. who owed me a favor." She said as her hands slid up his arms to wrap around his neck. "A very big favor." She added before he began kissing her, and didn't stop for a very long time.

As they descended the stairs Flack immediately felt the simultaneous invasion to all his senses as the pulse to the music became louder and louder. He would have joked with her about wondering if they'd be able to hear anything tomorrow, but he knew she couldn't hear him, so he just kept quiet and followed her out onto the dance floor.

Flack had no idea how late it was, as the concept of time had all but blurred as they danced song after song to music that pulsed in cinc with the lighting. He was mesmerized by the bouncing of her long brown curls, the sway of her hips, and the way their bodies came into occasional contact. He couldn't help but notice the way the neckline of her green halter top moved with her, the sequined trim catching the lighting just like her eyes did.

Eventually his thirst got the better of him on the hot and crowded dance floor and he gestured to her that they should go back upstairs for a bit. But Angell pulled him in close for a kiss, then backed off only far enough to gesture for one more song as she began to move against him.

Three more songs later, Angell pulled the party-room key from her back pocket and unlocked the door. Flack followed her into the dimly-lit room to hear, "Surprise!" from Hawkes, Sid, and Adam from the lab, Chebouski and Scagnetti from the precinct, his sister Sam, Angell's brother Joshua, and her friend Kate Panner, just as the lights were turned on.

Flack stood there, obviously surprised, for a moment, then turned to his girlfriend, "You-"

"Happy birthday." She said with a smile as she pulled him in for a kiss. Causing everyone to begin clapping and whistling at them.

Sid took the opportunity to pick up the cake that was on the bar so Hawkes could light the candles as Angell turned the lights down low. "You're gonna set off the smoke detectors if there are thirty-two of those things." Flack joked as he fully entered the room.

"Nope." Hawkes assured him, "Just two." He clarified as Flack could now see there was a candle in the shape of a '3' and another in the shape of a '2' atop his green and white decorated cake. Sid set the cake in the center of the round table, then his deep voice, which not many people knew he had, broke the pause of silence as he lead everyone in singing the birthday song.

"You gotta make a wish, Flack." Adam reminded him.

Flack just smiled and looked at Angell, "That's not gonna be necessary." He said before blowing out the candles.

The cake had been cut and eaten, drinks had been served, and everyone had hit the dance floor till they all felt like their legs were going to fall off. It had been a wonderful birthday celebration with friends and family. And now, at three o'clock in the morning, everyone had finally gone home, leaving Flack and Angell alone again.

"That was wonderful, Jess." Flack said, amazed at the trouble she'd gone through to pull that off for his birthday.

"Yeah, well," She said with a shrug, "I'm not exactly good with wrapping paper." She joked.

"That's what those gift bags are for." He said with a smirk as he pulled her close. "You are an amazing woman, Jess." He said before kissing her.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." She said as their lips parted, "Just don't expect me to top this next year." She joked.

And as they left Floor Thirteen, they were both wondering the same thing... what life would be like for them come next St. Patrick's Day.

FAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFA

Can ya just see Flack playing peek-a-boo with Lucy?

And don't worry about Detective Cruz, he won't be turning into another problem like Caine.

I intentionally didn't including Aubrey with Mac at the deli. That way if you're a Smack fan, you can pretend he was meeting Stella for dinner instead, which is what Flack & Angell thought.

Floor Thirteen - not a real place, that I know of anyway, just a name I made up. Got the idea from the absence of the 13th floor at hotels, which is kinda silly since obviously the 14th floor, no matter what you call it, is really the 13th.

My thanks to those of you who sent me your ideas on what should happen to Caine. I'll use three of them. The first (and most common suggestion) is that he did have to go to sexual harassment classes, which due to political correctness are labeled 'Sensitivity In The Work Place'. You will find out the second one in the next chapter.

Speaking of the next chapter... it'll be late March, spring time in NY, and that BBQ cook-off between Mr. Angell and Mr. Flack... this could get interesting. There will also be more Adam and you'll get to meet Carrie. That's all I'm going to tell you for now.

Please leave a review before you go!


	17. Tinkerbell & Barbecue

My thanks to CSI4lyNCIS13 & JessicaFlack for taking the time to review chapter 16.

In the last chapter you found out that I.A. forced Caine to take classes on sexual harassment, which was unanimous with all my readers. Two more things will be coming up regarding Caine's punishments, but I couldn't work it into this chapter, so you're gonna have to wait for the next one.

This chapter includes the episode "Rest In Peace Marina Garito" as well as that BBQ competition between Mr. Angell and Mr. Flack, and Adam will be pulled into a case in a way he never wanted (Yes, I'm borrowing Adam from the episode for my own use).

My characters for this chapter; Mark and John Abcott, Carrie Wilcox.

My thanks to my beta reader TerriBerri23 for catching my mistakes. Although I should point out that I disagreed with my SpellCheck and decided that 'grillable' is a word and left it in.

**FAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFA**

"Jess, whad'ya mean you're at a scene?" Flack asked in surprise, talking into his cell phone while looking down at his watch. "The double shift you just pulled ended forty-five minutes ago."

"Yeah, well, Lieutenant Sythe detoured a couple other detectives to another case because someone called in sick, so I got the short straw and am now at a scene." Angell explained in an intentionally 'blah' tone, her cell phone lodged between her ear and her shoulder as she reviewed her notes while she talked. "But, this is looking more and more like a suicide, so I shouldn't be here very long. Speaking of which, how is Stella doing?"

"Upset. Tense. Stressed." Flack answered. "She just blew up at Sid over this."

"At Sid?" Angell said in surprise.

"I'm just leaving the morgue. Sid told me Stella had just been here and was having a hard time with the evidence that indicates suicide." He explained.

"That's no surprise. Marina Garito called her every Monday for three years. That's a long time to be committed to something. Even justice." She said as she watched Adam pack up his kit.

"Listen, Jess, I'm in the elevator now, so don't be surpirsed if we get cut off, okay." Flack said, but heard no reply.

"Don? Don, you still there?" Angell asked, checking her phone. She knew he'd have to be in the elevator if he was just leaving the morgue, so she hung up. They would talk again later. "Hey, Adam?"

"Yeah, Angell." Adam responded, looking up at her as she approached him as he loaded his kit into the car's trunk.

"You headed back now?" She asked, then watched him nod. "Can I get a ride back with you?"

"Sure, of course." Adam said. "You ready?"

"Just let me tell Patterson, so he can finish the last of the interviews. I'll be right back." She said. Maybe this really was going to be a short trip and she could go home soon.

About half way to the precinct, "Oh, I love this song." Adam stated as he turned up the volume on the radio and started to sing along.

Although slightly off key, Angell couldn't complain too much, because Adam still sang better than Flack, so she kept quiet. But just before the song ended Adam suddenly turned off the radio and pulled over. "What was that they said?" He wondered out loud, as he turned up the volume on the police scanner and listened intently. "No. Oh, my God, no!" And with those words Adam swerved back into traffic as he turned on the lights and sirens, driving much faster than he should have been to a destination Angell could only assume was the one the dispatch operator had just repeated over the scanner.

"Adam, what's going on?" Angell insisted but got no response, "Adam, talk to me!"

But Adam didn't respond to anything but the traffic that was annoying him at the moment. "Crap! Can't these people see flashing lights here!" He shouted, obviously angry at other drivers as he honked the car's horn.

"Adam, you're not a cop, you're not supposed to be using the lights and sirens." Angell said calmly, hoping he would slow down, which he didn't. So she picked up the mic and informed dispatch that she was responding to the scene, since it was obvious she was going there anyway.

A few minutes later the car screeched to a halt in front of Abcott Pharmacy and Adam jumped out of the car to race into the building, followed closely by Angell.

"Carrie! Carrie!" Adam yelled as he rushed passed the officers at the tape who let him pass when they saw the NYPD logo on his vest. "Carrie!" He yelled again as he raced through the front lobby area.

Angell continued to follow close behind Adam, he looked like he knew where he was going. Once past the front entrance, they went through a small lobby area where customers would pick-up their prescriptions, around the counter with a single cash register on it, past the tables where she assumed pharmacists filled prescriptions, then through a set of double-wide glass door that opened into a large room lined with cabinets and lab equipment, a large table filled the center of the room. She watched as Adam knelt down by an injured man who was being tended to by paramedics.

"Oh my God, Mark. You've been shot." Adam stated, his eyes wide at taking in the appearance of the man he obviously knew.

"It's a through and through to the shoulder. He's lost some blood, but the doctors will have him patched up soon." The paramedic assured them.

"Mark, was Carrie here? She was supposed to help you today." Adam inquired of his injured friend, who was able to confirm with only a slight nod. "Where is she?" Adam asked as the paramedics raised the stretcher to take Mark out to the ambulance. "Mark,...where is Carrie?"

The paramedic shook his head, "I don't think your friend is going to be able to answer you." He said, as Mark's eyes were now closed.

Adam stood back and he watched as the paramedics wheeled Mark out on the stretcher, then began running his hands through his hair as he paced. Angell could see him getting worked up and breathing hard, like like he was about to hyperventilate.

"Adam." She said, trying to gain his attention. "Adam!" She repeated louder, which worked, as he stopped pacing to look at her. She felt a sudden pain of sympathy for him. "Adam, who is Carrie?"

"Carrie Wilcox... she's um... she's a friend of mine from... from, she's into... into cosplay,... and we met at." Adam attempted to explain.

The word 'cosplay' was enough to give her a lead. "Adam, is Carrie the lady you introduced me to? A while back,... at Avabar." She asked, trying to prod his memory and watching him think hard.

"Yeah, yeah." He began to repeat as he nodded his head.

"She was dressed as Tinkerbell." Angell added to confirm for him that she remembered Carrie and smiled inwardly at remembering how happy Adam was that night. She also remembered thinking the avatar costume suited the very petite young woman with her long thick blond hair and large bright green eyes very well. "Why was she here today?" Angell asked.

"She, uh... she works here." He answered.

"But it's Sunday." Angell stated, noting the row of hooks by the door with lab coats on them.

"Uh, um,... inventory. It was her turn... to, um, to help with inventory." Adam sputtered out, obviously upset.

"Who's turn?" Mac asked, as he stood in the doorway.

Both Angell and Adam turned to see him enter fully. "Looks like we have a missing pharmacist." Angell informed him.

"Um, actually,... uh, Carrie is a chemist. She works back here where they do the, uh,... the pharmaceutical compounding." He clarified, trying unsuccessfully not to stutter.

"One of the unis informed me that a 9-1-1 call came in that shots were fired." Mac said.

"Mark was shot." Adam blurted out, then realized Mac wouldn't know who that was. "He's one of the pharmacists here. He and Carrie were both here for inventory."

"Through and through to the shoulder, should be fine, but couldn't tell us where the missing lady is before he passed out." Angell said. "A pharmacy full of drugs on a Sunday, sounds like the idea place for a robbery." She added, looking around at all the bottles on the table.

"Yeah. Only you said this Mark fellow and the missing lady Carrie were here during inventory." Mac summed up, then watched Adam nod. "Something the robbers weren't counting on, causing things to go wrong."

"Do you think they uh,... they took Carrie with 'em?" Adam asked, not really wanting to think about it.

Mac could see the tormented look in Adam's eyes. He didn't know who this Carrie was, but she must be very special to his lab tech. "I don't know, Adam. But we're going to find out." He said, placing a reassuring hand on Adam's shoulder, then turned to Angell with instructions, "We need to find out who owns this place, find out what kind of security they have here. Are there cameras, anything, anything at all?"

"Mark owns it." Adam stated. "Well, he, uh, he co-owns it. With his brother-"

"John." A voice said from the doorway. "I'm Mark's brother John Abcott. What happened here? I got a call from the security company about a possible break in. But where's Mark?" He asked, as he entered the room far enough to see the blood on the floor. "Oh, God."

"Mr. Abcott," Mac began, in his usual calm and assuring voice, trying to distract the man who was staring at the bloody gloves and gauze the paramedics had left behind while tending to his brother. "Yes, it does appear there was a break in. Your brother Mark was hurt and he's been taken to the hospital." Mac paused at seeing Mr. Abcott pale at hearing what had happened. "I know you want to go be with your brother right now, but we really need your help here."

"What,..." John paused, trying not to look at the bloody mess on the floor. "What can I do to help?" He asked in a shaky voice.

"Tell us, what were Mark and Carrie doing here today?" Mac Asked.

"Inventory." He answered, "One Sunday a month. There's always one pharmacist and one chemist that does it. We're a compounding pharmacy, so we have a large supply of raw chemicals at all times, so we inventory more than the law requires us to."

"Do Mark and Carrie always do the inventory?" Angell asked, she didn't want to think Adam's friend could be involved in any way, but it was a necessary question.

Both Adam and John shook their heads, "No. No, we have two pharmacists and three chemists. They rotate, so the same two people inventorying together doesn't happen very often." John explained, then continued, "We're a small family owned business, our father opened this pharmacy over thirty years ago. He always told us to never tempt the employees or put them in tempting situations. He'd always done it that way, so when he retired and we took over, we kept it that way. Mark and I hire good honest people that we trust."

"I'm sure you do, Mr. Abcott, we just have to cover all the bases so we can find Carrie." Angell stated.

"Wait. What do you mean 'find Carrie'?" John asked.

"She's gone." Adam blurted out.

"Oh, God." John breathed out, steadying himself against the table.

"Mr. Abcott, you can help us by providing us with a list of what was stolen. We need our Narc unit to be aware of what might hit the streets." Mac explained. "If we can track it, it might help us find Carrie."

"Um, I'm... I'm not sure. I take care of the administrative and accounting side of things here. Mark is head pharmacist, so he takes care of all the ordering." John explained. "Oh, but I can get you last month's inventory list. That should give you a good idea. Then I'll factor in all the purchase orders." He added, running a shaky hand through his hair and more as if thinking out loud than actually talking to anyone specific, as he began to walk off down the hall, towards his office, Mac following him.

"I'm gonna go check with the hospital next door. See what kind of cameras they've got outside this area." Angell said, expecting some sort of reply from Adam, but getting none. He just stood there and she felt sorry for him. "Adam, why don't you go get your kit and start processing this scene." She suggested, and watched Adam nod wordlessly and slowly turn to head out and retrieve his kit. She was glad he would have something to do to distract him and feel like he was helping find his friend. 'Friend', she mused over the word as she followed Adam outside. From the way they were dancing with each other at Avabar, they were more than just friends she told herself as her phone rang.

"Hey, Jess. Thought you'd be off by now." Flack said.

"Yeah, well, Adam and I took a slight detour." She said, then explained everything that had happened.

"How's he doin'?" Flack asked in concern for the shy lab rat.

"He's processing the scene right now while I'm headed to the hospital next door to see if they have any surveillance footage we can use." She said. "How are things on your case?"

"I'm headed up to Marina Garito's apartment right now to meet Stella. I can already tell she's not going to be easily convinced that this was a suicide, no matter how much evidence there is to support it." Flack said as he continued climbing stairs.

"Well then, have her show you the evidence that supports it not being a suicide." Angell said, now entering the hospital.

"Who's side are you on?" Flack smirked.

"The victims." She assured him. "Now play nice, and I'll talk to you later."

**TWO HOURS LATER...**

"You're not the person I'm supposed to be here to see." Angell says to Stella from the doorway of her hospital room while stifling a yawn.

"You can thank your boyfriend I'm here for you to visit." Stella replies, taking in the Detective's tired appearance.

"Ah yes, the knight in shining armor. Well, someone had to play the damsel in distress. At least it's not me this time." Angell jokes, pushing herself from the door frame to step fully into the room.

"Glad to be of service." Stella jokes back. "But not what I wanted to go through so he'd believe me." She adds in a more serious tone.

"We've all been taught that if it quacks like a duck, and if it looks like a duck, that it's probably a duck, Stella." Angell says. "He just didn't have the personal aspect to the case that you did."

Stella nods, she knew Sid, Flack, and everyone else had good reason to think Marina had committed suicide. "Can you see if you can find my clothes anywhere, please. I've gotta get out of here."

"Have you been released or are you making a break for it?" Angell asked, then noticed the lack of verbal response and the look on Stella's face. "Never mind." She added, opening a closet door to search. "I've gotta head back down to Mark Abcott's room, see if he's awake yet. I'll see ya later."

Luckily for Mark Abcott that his pharmacy is located next door to the hospital and the ambulance ride was literally around the corner. "He's just coming to." The nurse told her as she removed his blood pressure cuff.

"Mr. Abcott?" Angell said, standing next to his bed. "Mr. Abcott, can you hear me?" She asked again, then looked up at the nurse.

"He may be in and out of it for quite a while." The nurse explained.

"Mr. Abcott, I'm Detective Angell. Can you tell me what happened?" Angell tried again.

Mark Abcott cracked his eyes open just a bit and tried to speak. The nurse helped him get some water and he tried again. "Carrie." Was all he squeaked out.

"That's who we're trying to find, Mr. Abcott. Can you tell us where she is? Did they take her?" Angell asked, needing as much information as she could get before he passed out again.

Abcott shook his head slightly, indicating 'no'. "Cabinet." He said.

"Cabinet? Which cabinet?" Angell asked. The compounding lab was lined with cabinets, and she still wasn't sure what a cabinet would have to do with anything, but it might be a clue.

"Loc... locked... cabinet." Was all he managed to whisper out before his eyes closed again.

"I think that's all you're going to get for now, Detective." The nurse said with an apologetic look.

Angell left the hospital quickly, heading back to the pharmacy next door. She walked past the doors to the compounding lab where Hawkes was helping Adam dust for prints, and headed for John Abcott's office where she found him with Mac. "Mac." Was all she said, entering the office.

"Any luck?" Mac inquired.

"Is my brother okay?" John Abcott inquired, wishing he could be with him instead of needing to help find a missing employee.

"He came to briefly. When I asked if the robbers took Carrie with them, he indicated not. He wasn't able to tell me anything else, except the words 'locked cabinet'." Angell said, answering both men.

"Mr. Abcott," Mac said, to get the man's attention, but he could already see that he was trying to process his brother's words and what they might mean. "There are several locked cabinets in your lab. So do your brother's words mean anything more specific to you?"

John Abcott's eyes suddenly went wide as he announced, "I've got it." Then he pushed Mac out of his way as he rushed around his desk to get to a book shelf. He moved what appeared to be a stack of books, but was really a false front that hid a safe. Angell and Mac watched as he opened the safe and took out a small locked metal box, then opened that and pulled out a key, holding it up almost triumphantly. "It takes two keys to open it." Was all he said by way of explanation before he bolted from the room, rushing back down the hall to the lab, Angell and Mac following close behind.

Adam and Hawkes got out of the way as John came into the room, followed closely by Angell and Mac. They didn't want any evidence disturbed, but right now someone was missing, which clearly took precedence. John retrieved a ring of keys from his pocket, then stooped down in front of one of the lower cabinets. "This cabinet has a false back." He stated holding up his own key ring. "I have one of the pharmacist's keys, but it also takes another one from a chemist." He explained, holding up the key he'd just retrieved from the safe.

"Even with a false back to it, there's no way anyone could fit in that cabinet." Mac said to Angell in a low voice.

"Oh, you'd be surprised." Angel replied, also in a low voice. She saw Mac's point, but then again, Mac had never seen Carrie before.

"But there's no key holes." Hawkes states, shining his torch into the cabinet.

"Up on the very top, in the corner." John clarified as Hawkes adjusted his torch, and sure enough he could see two key holes on what was literally the roof of the cabinet. "It was designed to not be seen." He explained as he handed the two keys to Hawkes, then stepped back out of the way. Everyone watched as Hawkes inserted the keys. "Turn the right one clockwise, and the left one counter-clockwise." John instructed.

"Got it." Hawkes said as both locks were released and the back panel began to move. "She's in here!" Hawkes proclaimed at the first glimpse of a small hand and blond hair.

Angell could see Adam running a nervous hand through his hair. "Is she okay, Doc?" He asked in obvious concern, as she was not even out of the cabinet yet.

Angell got down on one knee, for a better view inside the cabinet. Mac was justified in being skeptical, but she had seen Carrie and remembered how petite the young woman is. But still, it was a very tight fit and Carrie was curled up in a fetal position and slumped out into the front half of the cabinet as soon as the door false back panel was fully opened. Angell stood as Hawkes began to pull her fully out onto the floor and check for a pulse.

"She's not breathing." He stated.

"Oh, God." Angell could hear Adam breathe out over and over, and she kept a hand on his arm to make sure he didn't go over and get in Hawkes' way.

"We've got oxygen here." John informed Hawkes, gesturing to the various large tanks secured along the far wall. "And masks, too. These ones are Carries, so they'll fit her." He added, pulling open a drawer, and pulling out several different types of masks.

Hawkes chose the type of mask he needed as John brought over an oxygen tank, and they all anxiously watched to see what would happen.

Hawkes gave her some oxygen, then waited. "We can force oxygen in, but she's not exhaling." He stated in frustration. "Adam." He called out, waving him over, and Adam quickly complied. "I need you to sit behind her. That's right, now wrap your arms around her ribs and squeeze gently." Hawkes instructed and listened carefully as Adam squeezed the air back out of Carries lungs. "Now stop." Adam did and Hawkes gave her more oxygen. "Now squeeze again."

This process was carefully repeated over and over until... "Wait, Adam." Hawkes instructed, and everyone held their breath, "She's exhaling on her own." He stated, then gave her more oxygen, which she again exhaled on her own.

Once Carrie was breathing on her own, Angell and Hawkes traded places, so Carrie would not be frightened at seeing a strange man in front of her when she came to. After a few more minutes on the oxygen Carrie opened her eyes, then immediately attempted to back away from Angell. Angell could tell by the look in her eyes that she was frightened.

"You're safe now, Carrie." Angell assured her, but that did little good.

"It's okay, Carrie." Adam said, still sitting on the floor behind her, and Carrie turned her head to see that she was leaning against him. She immediately turned herself in his arms and clung to him like a frightened child. Adam wrapped his arms tighter, rocking her slightly, and Angell wondered who he was trying to comfort more, Carrie or himself.

Twenty minutes later, Carrie sat next to Adam on a couch in John's office, explaining what had happened. She wouldn't talk to anyone else and still seemed frightened if anyone came near.

Angell and Mac stood across the room waiting as Hawkes approached. "She just shy." Hawkes said, causing both to raise a brow. "Okay, she's extremely shy." He added, and they nodded at the understatement. Hawkes gestured for them to follow him out into the hallway, and they did. "Adam has talked to me about Carrie before, so I'm familiar with her... condition."

"Condition?" Mac repeated.

"I hate to use that term." Hawkes insisted, then paused for the right words. "Remember the kid at school that was so shy they were referred to as 'painfully shy'?" He asked and watched them nod, "Well, some adults are still like that. They simply never outgrew it. And that is the case with Carrie. She is just very, very shy."

"That's why she won't talk to anyone but Adam." Angell surmised and Hawkes nodded to confirm.

"Okay, guys, so here's the deal." Adam was already rambling on in his usual away as he exited the room to join them. "Carrie and Mark were doing inventory when they heard the robbers enter. They ducked behind the table, but could tell by voices and shadows, that there were three of them. Mark was afraid one of the robbers saw him and that's when he hid her in the cabinet."

"Does she know why?" Mac asked.

"He didn't tell her, probably because they were trying to keep quiet." Adam said while shaking his head. "She assumed he was either planning on telling them to just take the meds, then after they left, he'd let her out, or that he was going to hide in one of the other closets himself until they were gone." Adam added.

"But neither scenario is how it went down." Mac stated.

"Does she know why they shot him?" Angell asked, taking notes.

Adam shook his head, "No. She said everything was so muffled that she wasn't even sure if it was a shot she'd heard."

"Poor thing." Angell said with a sigh. "Imagine what could have happened if John hadn't figured-" She paused, taking in Adam's expression. "Oh, I'm sorry, Adam. I just meant-"

"I've gotta...um." Adam stammered out, gesturing back into the office where Carrie sat on the couch with John. "Okay. Bye" He added before turning and walking back into the room.

Angell felt bad, she didn't mean to upset him or make him ponder how differently things could have turned out. She would have to talk to him about it later. For right now, her phone was ringing.

"What do you mean, 'when is a french fry not a french fry'?" Angell repeated several minutes later as she headed for her car. "Even as tired as I am, Don, I'm still pretty sure a french fry will always be a french fry and can't morph into something else."

"That's what I told Lindsay, but she proved me wrong." Flack teased. "That reminds me, we need to have lunch at the Shake Shack tomorrow."

"Oooo-kay. I'll let you explain that later. I'm too tired right now." Angell replied as she got in her car.

"Yeah, you're well into a triple-shift right now. You off yet?" He asked.

"Not quite." She answered, leaning back into the head rest. "I've gotta finish the paperwork on this case so it can get handed over to the NARC unit, then I'm going home to sleep. How about you?"

"I'm gonna be pulling a late one. Right now, Danny and I are going to go pick up this Tony guy who thinks he's about to head out of town." Flack answered.

**THE NEXT DAY, AN EARLY LUNCH AT THE SHAKE SHACK...**

"I'm serious, Jess." Flack insisted. "It looked just like a french fry."

Angell laughed, well, fed into Flack's laughter was more like it. When he had picked her up earlier she could tell by the look on his face that the body of an eight your old boy stuffed in a trunk was still heavy on his mind. Because she loved him, she would sit quietly with him, laugh with him, cry with him even, or whatever else it might take for him to work through it, just like he had done for her after so many cases. Life never seemed to get any easier, it just changed, just like the cases changed. It was the job.

**LATE THAT AFTERNOON...**

Ah, spring time in New York. Well, almost. It's late March and the weather is decent. Close enough... and a good enough excuse to barbecue. Something that Cliff Angell and Donald Flack, Sr. did not let go unnoticed, nor were they going to let an opportunity for their cook-off pass them by.

Flack and Angell have stopped at a market to pick up a few things to take to the potluck barbecue at the park.

"It's grill vs. grill, Jess. I'm tellin' ya, there's nothing but perfect eating coming our way." Flack insisted as they perused the aisles.

Angell couldn't help but smirk. Leave it to her boyfriend to think with his stomach. "Well, if it's grillable, we're not taking it with us. Because if your dad is anything like mine, he will be grilling everything possible to show off." Angell deadpanned as she perused her chip and salsa options.

"I'm pretty sure fruit salad isn't grillable." Flack announced, pointing to the produce department.

"You've obviously never had grilled pineapple before." She said with an arched brow.

"Hmmm... Got it." He said, grabbing her hand and heading for the potato salad in the deli section.

Donald Flack, Sr. checked the temperature of his coals as he surveyed the park. "Hey, here come our Blue Brats now." He said, waving to his son and girlfriend who were now within sight of them.

"Blue Brats?" Mr. Angell's girlfriend Sherri questioned as she spread a table cloth across one of the picnic tables they were using.

"Yeah, that's what kids of cops, who become cops, are called." Cliff Angell chimed in, adjusting the control of his gas grill he'd brought with him.

"Kinda like Army Brats?" Sherri questioned, then watched him nod.

"I've never heard you use that term before, Dad." the youngest Angell son Joshua said, setting down a cooler of sodas.

"That's because it would just be one more name you would use to bug your sister." Mr. Angell half-scolded.

"What?" Joshua said in mock innocence. "She likes it when I call her 'Jessie'."

"No she doesn't." Flack said, causing Joshua to spin around and see him standing there with a straight face and his arms crossed. The last thing Flack wanted to do was make waves, but he knew why Joshua called his sister 'Jessie' and he knew why she hated it, and it really bugged him that Joshua knew it too and did it anyway. Fortunately Flack could tell that Joshua suddenly felt very uncomfortable at being called on it, so he decided to take the high road. "Hey, Jess, you need any help with that?" He asked, as he turned to find her unpacking the grocery bag at one of the tables.

The weather had turned out much better than predicted, the food was great, and Flack and Angell couldn't have asked for a better day to get their families together.

Flack's brother Patrick and his wife Amanda sat at one of the picnic tables with Angell's brothers Joshua and Jacob, and sister-in-law Jenna. While Samantha Flack sat at another table with Angell's brother Jared, sister-in-law Madeleine, their thirteen month old son Dominique, and her Aunt Gail.

This put Flack and Angell at the third table with his parents, her father, and his girlfriend Sherri. The conversation centered around barbecuing, of course, as neither father would drop the subject like everyone wished they would. Who knew there could be such a great debate over briquette vs. gas grilling or how long to marinade meat. Eventually it was agreed that both were great grillers and Flack made sure to offer his taste-testing skills any time they needed and all but guaranteed his presence at any additional cook-offs they should decide on having.

"You're lucky he followed in your footsteps. You have a lot to be proud of." Mr. Angell said to Mr. Flack as they walked along the path, headed with Dominique to the baby swings after dinner.

Mr. Flack nodded. "As do you." He assured him. "Your Jessica is a good Detective, and a wonderful lady all around."

"Yeah, she is." Mr. Angell agreed, proud father that he was. "In all honesty, Donald, I'd have to admit that I wish just one of my boys had wanted to be a cop, too."

Mr. Flack nodded again. "I know what you mean. I have to be honest that I'm glad it was Junior that made the decision to follow. Not that we pressured him or assumed he would, but yeah, I was real proud when he announced that he wanted to go to the academy."

"It's hard not to wanna live vicariously through them sometimes. Especially with careers like ours." Mr. Angell said as they approached the baby swings.

"The more we talk, Cliff, the more I realize just how much we have in common." Mr. Flack said with a smile.

"The longer they date, the more I realize how much more we're probably gonna have in common." Mr. Angell said as he gestured across the grass area.

Mr. Flack looked over to see his son and his girlfriend, walking hand in hand across the park. "I think you're right about that, Cliff."

**FAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFA**

I have not idea if the term 'Blue Brats' is legit or not, as far as I'm aware it's just a term I made up for my own amusement and use.

I did not have any luck (via Google) finding an actual medical term for extreme adult shyness.

Next chapter; Flack has lunch with Mr. Angell

Wanna say..."Thanks for all the adds!"  
Please leave a review before you go!


	18. Limit of 3

Wanna say 'thanks' to GymDiva23, JessicaFlack, and OneWhoDigsDeeper for the reviews of chapter 17.

Just check the traffic for Flangellized, hits and reviews for this story are slacking off. Sorry if I am making this story too long or if you are getting bored with it. Please hang in there a little longer, the finale comes in chapter 21.

This chapter in cludes the episode "Redemption" with a few direct quotes.

My thanks to TerriBerri23 for the Beta read.

FAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFA

"Thank you." The barista said to Flack as he dropped his change into the tip jar and gave her a nod.

After getting his coffee, Flack took a seat at one of the cafe-size tables in the seating area in front of Olsen's Deli to wait. It was another twenty minutes before he saw Mr. Angell walking towards him, so he got up and headed his direction.

"Hey, Don. Good to see you." Mr. Angell greeted with an extended hand as they met on the sidewalk.

"Glad you were able to meet for lunch." Flack said, shaking his hand.

"Oh, I'd never miss an opportunity to have lunch with you two. Besides, Olsen's makes the best ham sandwiches." He said. "Where's Jessica?" He asked, looking around.

"Actually, sir,... she's not here." Flack said, noting the older man's surprised look. "I, um, kind of asked you here because I need your help with something."

"Okay. What is it?" Mr. Angell asked, a tone of caution to his voice.

Flack took a deep breath, "There's something I wanna buy for Jess, but I need your help."

"Ah,... shopping. I see. Well, far be it from me to let another man suffer through shopping solo." Mr. Angell said, a tone of resolve in his voice. "But you realize this means you're buying lunch." He teased.

Flack nodded and stifled a laugh, "For help with shopping, I owe you a lot more than a sandwich."

"Well, there's a few stores here," Mr. Angell began, gesturing to the strip mall they were in front of. "Or if you're willing to dodge strollers and Mart-Karts, there's the big shopping mall across the street, or-"

"Actually, sir, that won't be necessary." Flack interrupted, then watched the older man's confused expression. "We're already here." He said, gesturing to the jewelry store they were standing in front of.

AN HOUR LATER...

"My head hurts." Flack said, rubbing his temples, his sandwich still untouched. They had been in the jewelery store only twenty minutes when it had started and now it was pounding.

"I'm going to invent Proposal Rings." Mr. Angell announced with a contemplative look on his face. "Rings you rent for the purpose of proposing, then the bride-to-be can just go pick out her own." He explained, then paused. "Oh, and there will only be three to chose from." He added, picking up his sandwich again.

"You will soon be a rich man." Flack declared without looking up. "Why, oh why, do they have to have so many to chose from. Don't they know men shop for these things and we can't do more than three of anything?"

"It's a conspiracy, Don. I'm not sure by who, other than that women must be behind it, but it's definitely a conspiracy." Mr. Angell said.

Eventually Flack headache subsided enough for him to eat and the two men sat through lunch in a comfortable silence.

"So, you want to marry my daughter." Mr. Angell eventually said, pushing his now empty plate away.

Flack smiled. "Yeah." Was all he said. Asking the man you hoped would become your father-in-law to go ring shopping with you, even thought he didn't know about it ahead of time, was an interesting way to ask for his daughters hand in marriage, but, hey, it had work, and he couldn't think of anything else to say at the moment.

Flack's phone rang and he answered, "Hey, Jess. Yeah. Okay. I've just stopped for lunch while I'm out running some errands. Sure. Love you, too. Bye." Was his side of the conversation.

"Oh, I'm just out running some errands." Mr. Angell mock quoted with a smirk before laughing.

"She didn't believe me." Flack stated.

"I didn't think so." Mr. Angell said.

"If it's any consolation, I'm lousy at lying to her." Flack said.

"It is." Mr. Angell said in honesty.

"Suspects, my boss, even my dad. Yes. But God, my mom, and Jess. No." Flack elaborated.

"So,... any idea when?" Mr. Angell inquired, and watched Flack shake his head. "Any idea where?" He asked, and again watched the younger man shake his head. "Any idea what you'll do about a ring since today was a bust?"

Flack sighed, "Today wasn't a total bust. I got some ideas. Not too bad for the first attempt." He said, looking at his watch. "And you were right, I've gotta pay more attention to the jewelry she wears, so I'll know if I should get gold or silver."

Mr. Angell had something he wanted to say before they left, "Ya know, Don,... It makes me happy that my daughter is happy. That she's found someone who understands her,... and the job. As a retired cop, I know what that's like, what my wife went through, how important it is." He said, then paused. "My Jaqueline, she would have liked you, too. And as Jessica's father, I want to thank you for coming to me first. I know it may sound old fashioned, and my daughter might even scoff at it, but it means a lot to me for you to do that."

Flack didn't know what to say, but a slight smile and nod was enough to convey his feelings at the moment.

As they left the Deli, Flack said, "Well, I suppose I should actually go run an errand or two before my shift starts, so I can honestly tell Jess that's what I did."

Mr. Angell laughed, but not only because of his daughter. "Wise idea, Don. I never could get anything past Jaqueline, either." He said extending his hand.

The men shook hands and each went their way with a very good feeling in their hearts.

Thirty minutes later Flack pulls up in front of the dry cleaners, parking next to a car he recognized. Assuming Angell was picking up her dry cleaning on her lunch hour, he made his way up to the cleaners with a smile on his face at the thought of the impromptu meeting and a few unplanned minutes together. But just as he approached the front door a man came running out of it, knocking him down, Angell right on his tails, both running as fast as they could. Unsure why the man was running, but trusting Angell's instincts, Flack got to his feet as quick as he could and took off to join the pursuit.

Rounding the corner to the alley, Flack saw Angell searching for the man she'd been chasing. "He's not back here now. So that only leaves this one door as an option." She said, still catching her breath.

Flack nodded and they both entered the back door to what was a community center. "Do I get to know why we're after this guy, Jess?" He asked in a low voice as he scanning the hallway in front of them.

"Tried to rob the dry cleaners while I was in line." She answered, also in a low voice but without taking her eyes off a half open door that turned out to be a closet. "This is not exactly how I wanted to spend my lunch hour." She added, checking the next door, which was locked.

"How inconsiderate of him." Flack stated as he eyed another door.

Flack wordlessly nodded to the door where he could now hear voices. Once Angell was on the other side, he slowly opened it. At seeing a group of men seated in rows in the room, they put their guns away and entered as most in the group looked at them.

"Can I help you with something?" The man who stood at the front of the room offered in a hesitant tone.

"NYPD." Angell announced, showing the badge clipped to her belt. "Did you see someone come through here within the last few minutes?"

"No, ma'am." He answered with a shake of his head. "No one has come in since our meeting began over twenty minutes ago." He added as Flack scanned the room, seeing several in the group nod in agreement. Then his eyes stopping as he saw a face he recognized and he tried to suppress a smirk when the man glared back at him.

"I can't believe he made it out of there." Angell said in frustration as they exited the back door of the community center and into the alley once again.

"Ya know that class we interrupted in there?" He asked and saw her nod at remembering. "Caine was in there." He added, then watched her expression change. "That was a class on sexual harassment we interrupted."

"Oh." Was her only response at first, as it appeared she couldn't decide if she should laugh or be serious. "Well, I hope he learns something." That attempt was all it took for her to lose it and start laughing, then Flack as well.

"I'm gonna go talk to the owner of the dry cleaners." She eventually managed to say before they exited the alley.

"What about lunch?" He inquired, but she shrugged and he knew she would be skipping lunch today.

Twenty minutes later... "I thought you'd left for your shift." Angell stated in surprise as she saw Flack leaning against her car when she exited the dry cleaners.

"I'm about to." He said, holding up a sack. "Your lunch, ma'am." He said, gesturing for her to take it.

She smiled at his thoughtfulness and took the sack, eyeing the sandwich it contained. "Thank you."

"So, does this mean you're actually going to re-take your lunch?" He asked, and she nodded with a smile. "So you are now on lunch? Off the clock? On your own time?" He asked in rapid succession.

"Uh, yes." She answered, not sure why he was so adamant about it.

"Good." He said, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close. They weren't into public displays of affection, but there were few people around the parking lot they were in and he desperately wanted to kiss her before he had to leave,... and he did.

LATER THAT DAY...

It was now Flack's meal break and he was spending it in another jewelry store. He'd done a little homework and noticed Angell's jewelry earlier, hoping it would help him decide what she would like. But it didn't really turn out that way after only one observation. So here he stood, looking at rings, still having no idea what to get.

His phone rang. There was a prison riot, Hawkes was in danger, and ring shopping would have to wait. He had a feeling this was going to be a very long night.

Soon after, Flack was standing in the crime lab listening to Danny recount to Stella how Shane Casey's print was found on his dog tags and his badge was still missing. Then Mac entered the room to let them all know that SWAT had a first stage tactical plan in the works.

Mac, Stella, Danny, Lindsay, and Adam were busy planning an escape route for Hawkes, 'breaking him out' Mac had called it. This left Flack feeling helpless, like there was little he was able to contribute to help his colleague and friend. This was definitely one of those 'waiting is the hardest parts' moments and he was glad Angell had stopped by to check on him.

"I can't believe Doctor Hawkes had a sister this whole time and never told any of us." Flack said after Danny got off the phone with Hawkes.

"Well, we all know Sheldon. We know how hard he's worked to get where he is. Maybe he felt like there were people from his past that would undo that." Lindsay offered for an explanation.

"I mean, I had Louie. I was always upfront about him." Danny said.

"My sister's no picnic." Flack commented.

"My dad, I don't like to talk about him." Adam said quietly.

"I don't like to talk about my brother, either." Angell added.

"I know what it's like to wanna burry something from your past." Lindsay added.

"Full SWAT assault in ten minutes." Were Mac's words as he and Stella re-entered the room, now leaving them all to feel helpless and holding their breath.

DAWN FINALLY COMES...

When dawn came there was a great sense of relief by all. "There he is." Flack announced, as Danny walked into the lab with Hawkes. Hugs and man-slaps were exchanged around the room, but the relief as accompanied by serious expressions.

Soon everyone felt better after spending a few minutes with Hawkes and headed out.

"Your shift about to start?" Flack asked Angell as they rode the elevator down.

"Yeah." She answered. "You headed home to sleep?" She inquired, noticing how tired he looked after such a stressful night.

"Yeah. But-" He began, but paused, rubbing a hand across his face, "I have a felling this isn't over. With Shane Casey on the loose now, I just have this very unsettled feeling."

"I know exactly what you mean." She said as the elevator doors opened and she headed one way to the precinct and he head the other.

ACROSS TOWN...

Thirty minutes later Flack was at another jewelry store. 'Just a slight detour on my way home', he told himself, so he didn't feel like he was lying to Angell. Besides, he really did need to get home and into his bed for as much sleep as possible. But right now, he was being stared down by a salesman.

'Arggh' Flack all but growled in frustration when he got into his car. He had hoped to have at least narrowed down his search by now, but that was just not happening. He didn't want to resort to asking her, he really didn't, that would take all the mystique out of it, but he was beginning to think that was actually his best option. So he started the car and drove.

"Mom!" He called out a little while later, walking in the front door of his parents' home. "Mom, you here?"

"Yes, Don. I'm here, and now the whole neighborhood knows it." Mrs. Flack said as she came from the kitchen.

Flack smirked, realizing his frustration was showing via his calling out for his mother. "Sorry, mom." He said sheepishly.

"I wasn't expecting you today, son. But I'm always glad when you can stop by. You hungry?" She offered in that motherly tone of hers.

"No, ma, I'm good." He answered.

"Well, follow me into the kitchen anyway, so you can tell me what's on your mind." She said, knowing her son so well that he didn't have to tell her something was up.

"What? I can't just stop by to say 'hi'?" He teased, and she gave him that motherly look that was equivalent to the non-believing eye roll. "Okay, okay, you've got me there." He said, then paused. "I need your advice." Flack finally spit out, following her into the kitchen.

"What kind of advice, Don?" His mother asked as she made coffee.

"About shopping." He answered.

"Well, since you hate shopping, I can see where you would need advice." She joked.

"Very funny, mom. I've been to so many stores, but just can't find what I'm looking for. I mean, I honestly thought it would just jump out at me the moment I saw it. That I'd just know it was the right one. Ya know?" He said. She just looked at him with an arched brow, obviously needing more information. "I mean, there's yellow gold, there's silver, then there's white gold that looks like silver. Would she want one band or two separate ones? It should have a diamond, I think anyway, would it be..." Flack didn't get to finish as his mother embraced him.

"Oh my gosh, Don! Are you really going to propose to Jessica?" She asked all excited.

"What was that I heard?" Donald Flack, Sr. asked entering the kitchen.

"Don is going to propose to Jessica!" Mrs. Flack blurted out in excitement.

"Congratulations, son. That's wonderful." Mr. Flack said to his son, with a huge smile on his face, first shaking his hand, then pulling him in for a hug.

"Oh, Don, you know how much we just adore Jessica." Mrs. Flack said, patting her son on the cheek like he was still a little boy.

"So, mom. Ring shopping. I need help. 'Cause if I have to look in one more jewelry case, at one more salesperson working off commission, I'm gonna go crazy." Flack joked.

"Don, why don't you go wait in the living room for a minute. Your father and I will be right there." Mrs. Flack instructed.

Flack obliged and two minutes later his father joined him on the couch as his mother went upstairs. "What's going on?" Flack asked his father.

"You'll find out in a minute, son." Mr. Flack assured him. "So, have you talked to her father yet?" He inquired, making sure his son had done things in the proper order.

Flack nodded, "Yeah. We had lunch together today. He actually went ring shopping with me." He looked up to see his father's nod of approval and making sure he'd done things properly.

A few minutes later Flack was flanked by both of his parents. "Don, your father and I have an idea. Well, a suggestion, really." Mrs. Flack said, and handed him a small box.

Flack opened the dark blue velvet box, "Grandma's Claddagh rings." He said at recognizing them.

"That's right. And before that, they were her grandmother's." Mr. Flack confirmed.

"It's white gold, and has the second band of diamonds to go with it. It's really a lovely set." Mrs. Flack explained.

"Your mother and I would like to offer it to you, Don. You don't have to take it, but it's always been meant to stay in the family." Mr. Flack offered.

"At the very least, Don, you can use it to propose to Jessica. Which means you can avoid all that dreadful shopping." Mrs. Flack said with a smirk and nudging him, "Then, you and Jessica can decide together to keep them or if she prefers something else, you two can maybe shop for rings together."

Flack leaned fully back on the couch and gave what almost felt like a sight of relief. He thought for a moment about how Angell liked antiques and things with special meaning and realized he'd been right all along... he really would know it when he saw it.

A smile overtook his face. "This is perfect." He told his parents.

FAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFA

First off, I wanna thank CSI4lyfNCIS13 for the suggestion of having Flack & Angell walk into one of Caine's classes. Totally her idea. You will find out the rest of Caine's punishment in a future chapter.

'Proposal Rings' - something I just made up. If they really do exist (as they should!) I am unaware of it.

If you recognized that last part with the Claddagh rings, it's originally from my story "365 Days", although I did alter it a bit for use here.

When will Flack propose? Where? How? Stay tuned to find out!

Please leave a review before you go. You know you want to! 


	19. Apartments

My thanks to: Serena Bancroft, CSI4lyfNCIS13, GymDiva23, WolfeyLady, and JessicaFlack for taking the time to review chapter 18. Much appreciated!

I've seen on other writers profiles where they have links to photos. I would put up one for the ring, if I only knew how.

This chapter contains the episode "Tales From The Undercard" which aired May 5th and Lucy Messer's first birthday because the episode that included her birth originally aired on May 6th.

A big 'thank you' going out to my beta reader TerriBerri23!

My characters for this chapter; Maria Thorp (the vic) and her parents Lucia (Aina's sister, married to Rico)  
Aina (Lucia's sister, married to Alanzo, mother of Ramon)  
Ramon (18 months old, son of Aina and Alanzo)  
Hector (Lucia & Aina's younger brother)  
Rico & Alanzo (from the red gang)  
Sein & Timo (from the blue gang)  
Captian Paul Hernandez, Gang Task Force Unit SWAT Lieutenant Jose Diaz and his side-kick Bradley.

**FAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFA**

Flack spun the ring on his finger, as he lay only half awake on his bed. It had become the first thing he would do each morning. Each night, since his parents gave him his Grandmother's Claddagh ring for Angell, he would put it on his little finger before going to sleep. It only fit on half way, but he put it on anyway. It just made him feel close to her. He even put it on after the argument they'd had last night. Actually, he probably needed it more last night than any other. It was a stupid argument, neither budging on what they though was right, and he didn't like the feeling of distance it had left between them.

He gave the ring one last spin before removing it from his little finger and placed it back in the dark blue velvet box, then tucked it into his night stand. He'd made no decisions yet on when, where, or how to propose and give it to her. For right now, he just needed things to be right between them again.

Angell lay sprawled across her bed, which was a mess from her tossing and turning all night, and slowly opened her eyes. She immediately took in the scent from Flack's old academy shirt she was wearing, which in turn reminded her of the fight they'd had last night. The fact that they had disagreed at all made her heart ache, at the same time her head all but spun in frustration over his stubbornness. She kicked back the mess of covers and got up.

The day had kept them both busy, each headed in their own directions. Flack working on the murder of Joe 'the Gladiator' Carthage and Angell dealing with the rape and murder of seventeen year old Maria Thorp.

Interrogations with the Contorsi brothers left Flack agitated at the general population of spoiled rich kids. He entered the bullpen to see Angell at her desk, elbows on her knees, her forehead resting in one hand, a ME's report in the other, as she talked on the phone that was wedged against her shoulder. He sensed her frustration as he took a seat at his own desk.

"Yeah, I noticed that. Multiple perps. Sick perverts. Report shows no alcohol or drugs at all. Yeah, I will. Okay. I'll call you later, Lindsay." Was Angell's end of the conversation before she hung up. She left her head in her hands and tossed her phone on her desk.

She wanted to say something to him, to work things out between them, but they were at work where they lacked privacy, and right now her case had her mind pulled in a different direction. Seventeen year old Maria Thorp had been gang raped before being murdered, and to make matters worse, according to Sid's ME report, she was probably still a virgin by the way she was torn up from the rape. The very idea made her both sick and angry. She was determined to arrest the men who did this, then, when her mind was clear of these distractions, she was going to work things out with Flack. She took a glance up at him, working at his computer, not wanting to gauge how mad he still was right now since he hadn't spoken to her either.

He wanted to say something to her, but wasn't sure how mad she still was. Gauging her level of continued irritation with him would be a trial and error process he would just as soon avoid if at all possible. It didn't help that they were at work and lacked the privacy they needed for that kind of conversation. He spent several minutes returning e-mails while debating with himself if he should speak to her now or not, then was disappointed in himself when she left her desk, then left the bullpen. He should have said something.

**THE NEXT MORNING...**

Angell awoke the next morning to the sound of her phone ringing, Mac informing her that a tip had come in to the precinct about Maria Thorp's murder. Her shift started in two hours, but he wanted Lindsay to go with her to meet a possible informant now. _'Does that man ever sleep'_, she wondered as she sent Lindsay a text.

A half hour later Angell knocked on the Messer's apartment door.

"Hey, Linds, you're not read-" Angell began, then noticed the other woman's appearance. "Um, you're not ready."

Lindsay had the door cracked just enough Angell could tell she had a lacy red mid-thigh length robe barely wrapped around her, her hair messed up, and... was she... sweating?

"Angell." Lindsay said, a bit breathless. "Um, what brings you here?"

Angell stifled a smirk at what she had obviously interrupted, "I take it you didn't get my text." She stated.

"Text?" Lindsay repeated, running a hand through her hair at thinking how she must look at the moment. "Um, no."

"Precinct got a tip early this morning about Maria Thorp's murder. I know it's early and you're only on-call, but Mac wants us to go talk to a possible witness now. I opted for texting you, so I wouldn't wake Lucy with an early morning call." Angell explained.

"Oh. Well, my phone didn't go off. Um, can you give me a few?" Lindsay said, pulling up on the collar of her robe for more coverage.

"I'll just wait here." Angell said, preferring to stay in the hallway.

Lindsay nodded and shut the door, returning a few minutes later ready to go. "Sorry about the wait." She stated with a blush. "Apparently when Danny went to charge his phone last night, he grabbed mine by mistake. So it was his phone on the night stand next to me instead of mine." She explained, turning her phone on.

"Sorry for the interruption." Angell said, deciding to take the straight forward approach instead of letting the awkwardness continue. "But at least your phone is fully charged." She added.

Lindsay blushed again and changed the subject. "So, what's this lead we've got?"

**AN HOUR LATER...**

In the alley behind Maria Thorp's apartment, Angell had interviewed Lucia while Lindsay interviewed her sister Aina. They had called into the precinct's tip line, saying they saw a group of men they thought raped and killed Maria Thorp.

"I'm thinking something is off here." Lindsay said to Angell as they stood together to confer after talking to the sisters.

Angell looked over at the two women, standing together about ten yards away as Aina's young son Ramon playfully circled his mother's legs. "Does this not sound just a little too convenient to you. I mean, it's great to have witnesses to collaborate evidence, but-"

"But there's just something a little fishy about their stories." Lindsay finished for her as she too looked over at the women.

Angell nodded, "Their stories match perfectly. A little too perfectly."

"I don't know about other mothers, but when Lucy wakes up in the middle of the night, the last thing I want to do is leisurely stroll over to my window to check out the view." Lindsay commented, referring to the women's story.

"Tuck 'em back in and get back to bed." Angell assumed out loud. "And I'll bet you don't wake Danny up to ask him to help, either."

Lindsay raised a brow, "Danny would think I'd lost my mind. Same as I'd think if he woke me when it was his turn." She assured.

"Okay." Angell said with an arched brow, "Now that we agree that we don't believe either one of them. How do we want to handle this?"

But before an answer was heard, shots rang out.

**SHORTLY AFTER...**

"Hey, Danny." Flack greeted as he entered the ballistics lab.

Messer looked up, "Hey, man. Heard you got to close your case."

Flack nodded, "Yep. Mac arrested Telly Gines last night, so I've just a little paperwork to finish. Thought I'd drop this off first."

"Alright, wha'd ya bring me?" Messer asked, eyeing the gift bag in his buddy's hand.

"Gee, Danny, I wasn't aware you liked butterflies and all things pink." Flack joked, spinning a pink gift bag with blue butterflies and yellow daisies all over it. "Hard to believe it's been a year already."

"Tell me about it." Messer replied with a slight shake of his head. "Fastest year of my life." He added, taking off his gloves.

"Jess picked this out for Lucy." Flack stated, handing over the gift bag she had given him several days ago. "I only get credit for delivery."

"As do all us husb-" Messer started to say as he placed the bag on the table, but stopped, unsure how to correct his error.

Flack failed miserably at hiding a smile and opted not to say anything, then turned to leave. Even with he and Angell's current status of disagreement, he still couldn't help but smile at his friend's words, even though in error, for now.

Flack's smile did not go unnoticed, though. "Wait a minute." Messer called after him. "Hey, come back here, Flack!"

Flack rounded the corner, Messer hot on his heels, as Stella approached quickly. "Oh, good, I'm glad you're both here."

"What's going on, Stell?" Both men inquire as Mac approached.

Stella took a deep breath before speaking. She knew neither man was going to be okay with what she was about to say. "We've got a situation. Shots fired. 84th and Lincoln Blvd."

The realization hit Mac immediately, "Shit." He seethed, barely audible but getting their attention, "That's where I sent Angell and Lindsay this morning." He stated aloud.

"What?" Flack and Messer said at the same time.

**JUST FIVE MINUTES LATER...**

Mac drove his Avalanche with Danny in the passenger seat, while Stella drove the SUV with Flack in the passenger seat, neither wanting the stressed and upset men to drive. They parked half a block down from the entrance to the alley, by a SWAT vehicle, and Lieutenant Sythe approached as they exited their vehicles.

Sythe could tell he was about to get bombarded with questions and held up his hand to stop them before it started, "I've been in contact with Detectives Angell and Monroe." He began, indicating his cell phone and using Lindsay's maiden name as not to confuse anyone with Danny since they were both present at the same scene. "They were here interviewing sisters Lucia and Aina about Maria Thorp's murder when shots broke out." He paused, turning so he could gesture as he continued. "The apartment complex on the left side of the alley faces 84th and falls into the territory of the red gang, the apartment complex on the right side of the alley faces 85th and falls into the territory of the blue gang. This alley is pretty much their dividing line. Lucia and Aina, live in what we've dubbed the 'red apartments', where Thorp lived as well. The first shots came from rival gang members from the 'blue apartments'." Sythe paused again, as someone approached whom he needed to introduce, "This is Capitan Paul Hernandez from the Gang Unit Task Force. What can you tell us, Paul?"

"Your interviewees are sisters Lucia and Aina, not only do they live here in the red apartments but are each married to members of the red gang. So I suspect two options. One; that they were more than happy to rat out the members of the blue gang that raped and murdered Thorp. Or two; they were wanting to falsely accuse members of the blue gang because it was really members of the red gang that did it." Hernandez explained.

"Angell said the sisters told identical and unbelievable stories. But before they got a chance to call them on it, shots came from the blue apartments. But at this point, shots are now coming from both gangs in both buildings." Sythe conveyed.

"Which doesn't help us narrow down our two options." Messer said, running a hand over his face, a motion Flack was already doing. "Nor is it really relevant right now."

"Danny's right. We can figure that out later. Right now, the question is, how do we get our detectives out of there safely?" Mac says, needing a plan to focus on.

"I believe I can help with that plan." SWAT Lieutenant Jose Diaz said as he approached. "I've got snipers on both roofs now. They're in positions that keep most of the shooters away from the windows and unable to keep taking shots. But they can't get all the windows covered, so Angell and Monroe are still pinned down in the alley."

"What about the apartments?" Flack asked Diaz, as he and Messer put their kevlar vests on.

"All exits are covered." Diaz said.

"Will they be evacuated?" Messer asked, checking his side arm.

"Can't." Hernandez said with a shake of his head, "Most of the occupants in the red apartments are affiliated with the red gang in some way. And those that aren't are either willing to help them or too scared of them to tell the truth. Ditto for the blue. So, an attempt to bring out the occupants of either apartment complex, would most definitely bring out gang members as well." He said.

A crackly voice came over Diaz's radio before he spoke into it. "Roger that. Send 'em over." They all heard him reply into it. "Mr. and Mrs. Thorp, Maria's parents, are coming over."

"Why weren't they in the building?" Mac questioned, grateful regardless of what answer he got.

"They went to St. Michael's after Mr. Thorp's grave yard shift, to meet with their priest about funeral arrangements." Diaz explained as an officer brought the couple over.

"What can you tell us about Maria and these gangs?" Flack asked, hoping for some incite into why this was all happening and the love of his life was in danger only fifty yards away from him.

"Maria was a good girl." Mrs. Thorp answered, politely yet adamantly. "She didn't want anything to do with the gangs."

"They used to taunt her." Mr. Thorp began, "Whenever they would see her. She tried to stay away from them. The guys in the gang, they would talk foul to her, saying such awful things." He paused, it was hard for a father to think about the things those men had said to his little girl, things they wanted to do to her. "She could ignore them, she did ignore them, but it was the women in the gang that were even worse."

"How so?" Messer asked, arms crossed over himself and rocking back on his heels.

"Maria was a good student, she got good grades, a scholarship even. She was going away to college next fall, out of this place." Mrs. Thorp supplied, a tinge of pride in her voice covering the sadness of losing her only child, even for just a moment. "But the women in the gang,... they wanted to bring her down to their level. They were angry with her. Because she didn't want anything to do with any of their men."

Another round of shots rang out at that moment, the Thorps being taken to cover as radios crackled to life with the obvious announcement of more shots fired. Someone was down, but it wasn't an 'officer down' call and Flack and Messer looked at each other with guilty sighs of relief.

They'd all made their way down to the entrance of the alley, SWAT member Bradley meeting them with an update. "One of the women they were interviewing is down. Her name's Aina, she's the mother of the toddler. When the shots died down for a while, she must've though it was safe, because she tried to make her way back into the red apartments. That's when more shots came from the blue apartments, one of the windows we haven't been able to cover yet." He explained.

"Where is everyone else?" Diaz requested, needing an update on exactly who was located where in that alley.

Bradley unrolled a rough diagram out on the back of a squad car. "Detectives Angell and Monroe are both here, behind a dumpster up against the red apartments, therefore in the line of fire from the blue." He said, gesturing to a spot on the diagram. "Lucia and her nephew Ramon are here, by an old mattress up against the blue apartments." He added, gesturing to a spot on the other side of the diagram.

"No he's not." Flack interrupted, looking down the alley and spotting the toddler. "Oh God." He breathed out, fearful of what he though could happen.

They all looked down the alley at what Flack was seeing. A toddler with black curly hair had wondered out from the spot of safety with his aunt and was now crouched down in the middle of the alley by the body of his dead mother.

Another shot rang out from the blue apartment and everyone cringed when the bullet ricocheted off the concrete only a foot away from Ramon who became scared and began to cry, but didn't move away from his mother's body.

"We've gotta get him out of there." Flack said, stating the obvious.

"He's right out in the open, but I can't risk sending anyone in there after him." Diaz said, feeling bad at having to say it.

**MEANWHILE...**

"Come on, Ramon. Come over here." Lindsay said, calling out to the boy and hoping he would pick up on the motherly tone in her voice. But he just looked up at her with big sad brown eyes, pointing again to his mother, clearly not understanding that she wasn't going to get up and hug him.

"He's too scared, Lindsay." Angell said, with a sigh as they both watched the toddler crouch down and pat his mother's back as if trying to awaken her. "We're going to have to go get him."

Monroe took a deep breath to focus, "How do you want to play this?" She asked, letting her take the lead.

"I'm gonna have to be fast, and you're gonna have to do a good job of covering me." Angell said, holstering her weapon she had been returning fire with, needing both hands free for what she was about to do... besides, she was now out of bullets.

"But I can't cover both sides." Lindsay said, checking out her line of shot. "I can only cover the windows over there." She added, referring to the three far windows of the blue apartments that they had been exchanging fire with. "What about the ones above us from the red apartments?"

"Ramon's parents are with the red gang, so I'm hoping they won't shoot at me for rescuing one of theirs. And we really don't have a choice because the blue gang obviously doesn't care about killing a toddler." She conferred back, taking up a sprinter's stance. "You ready?"

Monroe aimed her gun, "Ready." She stated, then shot at the windows to keep the blue gang from firing at Angell while she watched her via peripheral vision.

Angell shot out from behind the dumpster as fast as she could, heading for the toddler and scooping him up. She continued straight, heading for the closest cover she could see, another dumpster. A shot rang out again, and she registered it as coming from the red apartments just as the bullet grazed her arm, causing her to spin and stumbled. She scurried to her feet as fast as she could while hanging on to Ramon and continued as she could hear Monroe returning fire to cover her. She was surprised to say the least, she'd meant what she told Monroe about the red gang not firing as she tried to rescue one of their own. But Ramon was cradled on her right side and the bullet had gone through the back of her left arm, so they were probably aiming for her. Not a comforting thought, she told herself as she reached her destination against the back of the blue apartments.

Back at the alley's entrance, Flack winced as he saw Angell flinch and stumble. His heart racing as he mentally encouraged her to get up and get to cover again.

A moment later his radio crackled to life, "Angell took one to the arm." He heard one of the SWAT snipers from the roof confirm.

"SWAT is ready for my word to storm the front of both apartment complexes." Diaz announced, getting everyone's attention as he approached again. "As soon as they do, my men on the roof will propel down the back of both buildings to get to the windows the shots have been coming from. We need to come at this from every possible direction. Flack, I need you to join Angell and cover the back door of the blue apartments. Messer, I want you to join Monroe and cover the back door of the red apartments. Taylor, Bonasara, I need you two stationed at the entrance to the alley." He instructed, handing out extra magazines and getting nods of agreement from all.

"I'll call Angell and Monroe and tell them the plan." Stella said.

**MEANWHILE...**

"Shh. It's gonna be okay, Ramon." Angell spoke gently to the crying toddler clinging to her, trying to calm him. He was scared, not liking the loud noises the guns made around him and wanting his mommy that he kept pointing to. "Shhh."

"You okay, Angell?" Monroe called over at seeing the red on her white shirt.

"It's just a graze." Angell called back to assure her colleague and friend, even though her arm stung as blood was slowly seeping into her shirt. "I say we just stay put and wait it out."

"We don't have much choice, I'm out of bullets. Besides, SWAT's gotta be ready to move soon." Monroe stated just before ducking as a bullet ricocheted off the dumpster.

**WHAT SEEMED LIKE AN ETERNITY LATER...**

"Okay, I need you to know who's who in there." Hernandez began as he laid out mug shots across the back of a squad car. "This is Rico, he's the leader of the red gang and Lucia's husband. This is Alanzo, Rico's right hand man, Aina's husband, and Ramon's father. This is Sein, he's the leader of the blue gang. This is Timo, Sein's right hand man. I've worked the Gang Task Force for years and can tell you that none of these men are going down without a fight. And don't underestimate any of their women, either. They're just as dangerous."

"I had Adam run phone records. Triangulation of their phones indicates that all four of them are here in these apartment complexes." Mac informed everyone.

"Not only are they dangerous," Hernandez said, then paused, "But they are very territorial." He emphasized.

"Let's go." Diaz said, then everyone departed to their positions.

A few minutes later Diaz nodded to Mac and Stella who were positioned at one side of the entry to the alley, confirming that they were ready. Then nodded to Flack and Messer, positioned on the other side of the entry to the alley and ready to head to the back doors of the apartments as soon as SWAT had scaled down the backs of both buildings to clear the shooters from the windows. They also nodded back that they were ready. Diaz then confirmed from his men on the roof that they were ready to scale down, then with his team at the front entrances to both apartments that they were ready, as their entrance would start a domino effect that needed to play out like clockwork. Once confirmed that everyone was ready, Diaz gave the order and SWAT entered the fronts of the apartment complexes. The first domino had fallen.

"Danny," Flack said quietly as they waited their signal to go. "I need you to do something for me." He stated, not taking his eyes off Angell. He could see just enough of her to watch her cradle the frightened toddler in her arms. He knew she was out of bullets and had just hunkered down, protecting the little boy and waiting to be rescued.

"Probably the same thing I need you to do for me." Messer stated, not taking his eyes off the dumpster his wife was currently taking cover behind. He knew she was out of bullets and he couldn't stand the waiting to get to her.

"We made a promise, Danny." Flack reminded his friend.

Messer nodded, "And we're gonna carry it out... and the women are never going to know about it." He said.

"Right. On both counts." Flack agreed, feeling a sense of relief that they didn't need to say any more on the topic. He would do whatever he could to keep Lindsay safe and he knew Danny would do whatever he could to keep Jess safe. It was their promise to each other, one they hoped to never have to carry out. But here they were, both of them, about to do just that.

**FLACK (AND MESSER'S) POV...**

Flack heard the order in his radio, the go-signal for the SWAT members on the roof. He watched them propel down and enter the building via their target windows. But just as they disappeared from sight, several members of the blue gang rushed out from the back door of their apartment complex and started firing. He and Messer were at the corner of the red building so taking cover was fast and easy to do. The shots came close to them and they didn't dare extend an appendage for fear of losing it, nor did they dare take blind shots into the alley for fear of hitting one of theirs.

**ANGELL (AND MONROE'S) POV...**

Angell sat on the hard concrete, leaned against the side of the dumpster as close to the building as she could get to avoid being shot at again. She held Ramon tight and rubbed his back, despite the pain in her arm, trying to comfort the toddler who kept pointing to his mother's body and crying. She'd watched SWAT propel down and enter the windows, causing the shooting to stop, at least for now. She's also seen glimpses of Flack, Messer, Stella and Mac at the entrance to the alley just fifty yards away, surely they would be coming for them soon. Suddenly she heard a loud bang and multiple voices mixed in with gunfire coming from behind her. She peaked her head around the dumpster to see members of the blue gang pouring out into the alley, guns drawn and already shooting. She quickly shuffled herself back against the wall again, and watched two of them rush over to where Lindsay was behind a dumpster on the opposite side of the alley. They drug her out by her hair and she fought back until one of them stuck a gun in her neck. A noise nearby got her attention and she looked to see a shoe had kicked one of the dumpster's wheels, then two men appeared by her, guns drawn and aimed. She stood slowly with Ramon as she watched two others drag Lindsay over, one of the men wiping blood from his mouth where she had punched him. One of the men by her said something, but with all the shooting it was hard to hear, but she could tell by his gestures that she was to go with them. She put Ramon down, kneeling by him for a moment and pointing to his Aunt Lucia by the mattress nearby, telling him to go to her. She wasn't sure how well this would go over, but she wasn't about to let them take the little boy, too. As soon as Ramon reached his Aunt, Angell stood up, one man grabbing each of her arms and hauling her towards the back door they'd come out of, Lindsay right behind them in the same manner. As soon as they were inside, most of the shooting stopped.

Flack was surprised at how long the shooting had lasted, keeping them pinned down at the building's corner and unable to see what was going on. But it stopped almost as suddenly as it had started, and as soon as they dared, they peeked their heads around, just in time to see the back door of the blue apartments close.

"What the hell was that all about?" Messer asked. "Some sort of 'blaze of glory' or somethin'?"

"They're gone, Danny." Flack stated with wide eyes as Mac and Stella looked over at them. "Change of plans; you and me are going after them."

Messer did not ask his friend to elaborate. The thought of his wife unarmed and in a dangerous situation had him running into the alley right behind his friend. They paused only briefly before opening the door they had just watched close. Entering cautiously, they found themselves in the middle of a long hallway. They heard more doors closing, in each direction, leaving them not knowing which way to go. Jess and Lindsay could have both been taken the same way or separated. Only one way to find out.

"We're going to have to split up." Flack said, going to the right.

"Stay in contact." Messer called out, already heading left.

Both men ran as fast as they could in opposite directions, towards their respective doors, not knowing what they would find.

Lindsay was being pushed and pulled at the same time. The man behind her had her right arm twisted back and the man in front of her still had a fist full of her hair which he did not hesitate to use to guide her to their destination, wherever that was. Part of her was scared of the two armed men, not knowing what they had in mind to do with her, but she knew her husband would come for her and take her safely home to celebrate their daughter's first birthday.

Angell was being pushed by both men down another hall, each having an arm pinned behind her. She wanted to dig her heels in and stop suddenly, head butting one of them before breaking the other one's nose with her fist, but one of them also pressed a gun to her back, so she resisted the urge, for now. Her adrenaline rate was skyrocketing, but she kept herself calm and focused by remembering that Flack would be close behind.

Flack paused outside the door he'd come to, listening but hearing nothing. He opened it cautiously, finding himself in yet another hallway. He followed that hallway to the end and rounded the corner, seeing two gang members trying to force Lindsay into one of the apartments. "NYPD! Freeze!" He yelled at them, but the one with the gun who Flack recognized as Sein, their leader, tuned on him and fired, hitting the bottom edge of Flack's kevlar vest. Flack felt a wave of pain ripple through his side as he spun slightly and fell to his knees. He leaned his head against the wall trying to catch his breath as the gang members laughed at him. Dispite the pain he was in, he was more pissed off than anything, partly at himself for not getting a shot off first, and now because a gun was being waved back and forth between he and Lindsay, as if Sein was having trouble deciding who to shoot first. Well, Flack wasn't going to just wait and find out, so he raised his gun and shot Sein in the leg before he could get another shot off, sending him to the ground in agony as his gun slid across the floor just out of reach.

The other gang member looked unsure of what to do, but he had Lindsay in a choke hold, his heavily tattooed arm wrapped around her neck. "I'll kill her, man! I swear I will! I can hear her struggling to breath already!" He threatened, gripping his tighter.

Flack got to his feet and nodded but did not lower his gun, "Yeah. Yeah, you can cut off her air supply for a few more seconds, and she'll pass out. And as soon as she does,... I'm gonna put a bullet right between your eyes." He said in a serious tone.

Flack watched as the man's expression changed, obviously rethinking the consequences of his actions which he now realized would result in his own death. He slowly released his grip on Lindsay and she slumped to the ground gasping for air. Flack cuffed him quickly, then used Lindsay's cuffs on Sein.

Lindsay could hear the clicking of her cuffs and voices of SWAT members headed their direction as the door to the apartment they had tried to push her into slowly opened. A woman stood in the doorway, probably one of their wives. Lindsay noted the expression on the woman's face as she raising a gun to Flack. Lindsay quickly grabbed Sein's gun on the floor next to her. "Don't do it!" She ordered, staring her down. "NYPD! Drop it!"

**MEANWHILE...**

Danny paused outside the door he'd come to, listened carefully, then opened it cautiously, finding himself in yet another empty hallway. He ran down to the end and rounded the corner, just in time to see two gang members trying to push Angell out a fire escape, but she was being slightly less than cooperative. "NYPD! Let her go!" Messer ordered, his gun raised.

"No way man! She's coming with us!" The one Messer recognized as Timo, their leader's right hand man, yelled back. He had her injured arm twisted behind her and jerked her head back with a handful of her hair.

"No she's not!" Messer yelled back at Timo, but kept his gun trained on the other man who held a gun that was pointed at him. He noted the blood on Angell's white shirt and was glad he could hear SWAT coming their direction.

Angell had had enough of this, Timo had released her hair in favor of pinning her other arm behind her. This actually worked in her favor and provided her leverage as she suddenly threw her head back as hard as she could, head-butting Timo in the face. She heard a crunch and was sure she'd broken his already ugly nose. He held tight to her arms while she pushed herself back against him, pressing him into the wall behind them. Then she kicked the other blue gang member into the opposite wall, the gun in his hand being sent to the floor.

The other gang member was a big guy, not so much tall, but definitely big otherwise, and much faster than Messer anticipated as he made a move for the gun on the floor.

Messer aimed and shot the floor, just inches from the gun. "Don't do it, man! Don't do it! Or the next bullet is meant for you." He threatened, and watched him stand up and back away. "Kick it over here." He ordered, and the man reluctantly did, sending the gun sliding across the floor near Messer's feet.

Messer tossed the man a set of cuffs and ordered him to cuff himself to a pipe there on the wall, then without taking his eyes of Timo, he carefully picked up the gun. "Let her go."

Hernandez had been right, Timo wasn't going down without a fight and glared back at Messer as he shook his head. "No way, man, no way!" He shouted, causing his own blood from his broken nose to drip into his open mouth as he pulled tighter on Angell's arms, causing her to grimace in pain.

Messer could see the blood now dripping off her finger tips and was sure Flack would have put a bullet between Timo's eyes by now if he were here. But hey, he could work with that idea... So he walked slowly over to Timo, till his gun was pressed against his temple. "You can go out of here in cuffs, or in a body bag. I really don't care which. Now, don't make me tell you again."

Timo's heavy breathing could be easily heard as he fumed in anger over his lack of options. It took several moments, but he finally gave a slight nod before slowly released his grip on Angell's arms.

Angell leaned against the far wall, rubbing her sore arms as Timo was being cuffed. Although, he did get in one final act of rebellion and swung an elbow in resistance, this resulted in a split lip and bloody shirt for Messer who decided to make sure the cuffs went on nice and tight.

Several minutes later Lindsay emerged from the back door of the blue apartments, leading a cuffed, argumentative and limping Sein. She was followed by Angell who led a cuffed Timo who had cotton rolls stuck up his crooked nose. Messer and Flack followed behind them, escorting the two other gang members who had helped grab the women. Hernandez brought up the rear with Sein's wife who had tried to shoot Flack.

They headed out of the alley to an ambulance on the street. Mac and Stella were right there, waiting to photograph and collect evidence. First was Flack's kevlar with the bullet in it, causing the paramedics to want to take him in to have his ribs x-rayed. Fortunately, Dr. Hawkes was there as well and assessed that he was only sore and had bruised ribs, which were wrapped for easier breathing. The sleeve of Angell's shirt was cut off and placed in an evidence bag before Hawkes decided she needed stitches before being bandaged up, which he of course took care of. Monroe needed only aspirin for her headache, a result of having her head yanked around by her hair, and Messer got an ice pack for his mouth once Stella had photographed his bruised jaw and split lip. Paramedics then took only Sein and Timo to the hospital to get patched up, leaving the four behind, as no trip to the ER was now necessary for them, thanks to Hawkes. The rest of the blue gang members were on their way to interrogation, which would be handled by Hernandez and the Gang Unit Task Force.

"Lucia is being booked right now and Ramon is with Child Protective Services until a more wholesome family member can be located. I should have a full story for you by morning, Detective Angell." Hernandez said as the ambulance and police cruisers pulled away. "But I expect us to find that Lucia and Aina abducted Maria Thorp."

"But what about the rape?" Angell inquired.

Hernandez sighed heavily, he knew the logic didn't make sense, even when explained. "Some of the residents told us that the women wanted Thorp for their little brother Hector."

"Wanted her?" Monroe repeated. "Geez, it makes her sound like a pet."

"You have to understand, Detectives, that these gangs treat their women like possessions, like property. And for Thorp to be a virgin like the ME's report suggests, just made her that much more desirable to them. So when she turned Hector down, it was viewed as an insult to the entire gang. It was probably every male in the gang, except Hector, that raped her." Hernandez explained, realizing it all sounded so Neanderthal.

"So she was either going to be punished for rejecting him or shamed into being his. Either way,-" Angell said, but didn't finish.

"I know, it's twisted logic." Hernandez said.

"That it is." Was everyone's sentiment.

"Welcome to my world." Hernandez added.

Angell and Monroe needed to get back to the precinct to give an official statement before they could call it a day, and since neither one of the guys drove themselves there, they needed a ride.

Angell and Monroe were flanked by the men, Messer next to his wife, Flack next to his girlfriend. Each of the guys had their arms slung over the ladies' shoulder as all they walked side-by-side to the car. Messer made a fist and extended his arm, Flack noticed and did the same.

"Did they really just fist bump each other?" Monroe asked Angell with an eye roll as they all continued walking.

"Yep." Angell drug out with a smirk, still looking straight ahead.

Both men just smiled. They didn't care at the moment. They were just relieved the whole ordeal was over, the women they loved were safe, and of course that their little pact remained a secret.

**THAT EVENING...**

"Wow. This place is great." Angell said as they entered the model apartment.

"I can't believe you're still thinking about moving." Flack stated as he followed her in.

"Just because I want to check these units out, doesn't necessarily mean I'm going to move." Angell said, picking up a brochure from the table. "An open house announcement was posted on the bulletin board in the lunch room and I just want to see what they're like."

"I'm starting to remember why we argued. You're stubborn." He said, looking at the diagram of the building's layout. Until that moment he hadn't given another thought to their previous argument, an argument that seemed so petty in hindsight of the days events. The fact that she was safe was all that mattered to him now.

"Why did you want to tag along if you disagree with me so much? And for the record, I'm not near as stubborn as you." Angell assured him after not giving him a chance to answer the question. She had wondered if they would be addressing their previous argument or not, and their current slights indicated that this may be their way of doing just that, which was fine with her. Disagreements would come and go, and as long as they were dealt with, one way or another, she knew they would be just fine.

They spent a few minutes wondering around the model apartment, until suddenly, "I'm ready to go." Angell announced.

"Already?" Flack asked, wondering if she wanted to leave so soon because of him.

Angell nodded and handed him the brochure she'd been carrying around and had finally looked at. "Don, I couldn't afford a one room studio unit in this place. Heck, I probably couldn't afford a closet in the basement in this place."

"Holy cow." He exclaimed in a hushed tone while taking in the prices in the brochure. "I hope that price includes maid service. And a cook."

"How are you folks this evening?" A man whom they both assumed was a real estate agent for the complex asked as he approached. "Are you with the NYPD?"

"Yes, we are." They both answered.

"Well, we built this apartment complex with the NYPD in mind; just four blocks from the precinct so you can walk to work if you want, and private underground parking with video surveillance so it's safe. Plus all units are eco friendly with lead-free paint and water conserving appliances, larger units have their own laundry set-up." The real estate agent rambled off, obviously hoping he was going to make a sale.

"Well, it's not quite going to work for me, but thank you anyway." Angell said as politely as she could before turning to leave.

Flack could tell how disappointed she was and that the agent was surprised, "One thing you didn't factor in 'with the NYPD in mind'." Flack commented to him.

"Oh, what's that?" The man asked.

"Cop salaries." Flack said as he took his leave to follow Angell out, leaving the man speechless.

Flack and Angell stood quietly as they waited for the elevator to arrive. He knew she was disappointed that none of the apartments in the complex were even close to being in her budget and wasn't sure what to say, so he was glad when his phone made some noises. "So, would cake make you feel better?" He asked a moment later as he looked at his phone.

"Cake?" Angell asked, "Where did that random suggestion come from?"

Flack switched from the text he'd just received from Messer to the photo he'd sent right before, then handed it to Angell. "Apparently the birthday girl crashed after the sugar high she was on an hour ago." He said. Angell took the phone and looked at the image of a sleeping Lucy, still wearing the outfit they had given her. "Danny says there's plenty of cake and that we should stop by." He added with an arched brow.

"Hmm,... I think that's something we can both agree on." Angell mused as they entered the elevator. Maybe this evening won't be a total wash after all. "I wonder if they have ice cream, too."

**FAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFA**

Well, I couldn't have our awesome couple mad at each other for very long, so all is well between them again... hey, ice cream can fix a lot of problems!

Only 3 chapters left to finish off season 6!

Oh, and when you review please leave your guess about Flack's proposal. When? Where? How?


	20. Grrrrrr!

Hey, everyone!

It's so good to be posting again. Finally got my computer fixed, but then my butterfly flew away, again, so it got fixed, again. Then I discovered that my muse was no where in sight. But don't worry, I finally found her over at the Hawaii Five-0 boards; she was busy ready, but I have corraled her and brought her back. I have missed typing Flangell and have a lot to catch up on.

I'm just letting you know that chapter 20 is almost finshed and I will be posting it very soon. Thank you all for your patience! I hope you will find it was worth the wait.

Runner


	21. Suppressed Memories

Hello, everyone! It's so good to be posting again. Finally got my computer fixed, but then my butterfly flew away, again, so it got fixed, again, only to discovered that my muse was no where in sight. But don't worry, I finally found her over at the Hawaii Five-0 boards; she was busy ready, but I have corralled her and brought her back. I have missed typing Flangell and have a lot to catch up on.

Wanna say 'thanks' to jessicaflack, CSI4lyfNCIS13, wolfeylady, and Serena Bancroft for the reviews of ch.19, and for all the adds and alerts lately.

This chapter includes the episode "Unusual Suspects" and contains character quotes as well. But since that episode begins with the boys getting out of school, well, that just leaves all morning and early afternoon for other things to happen.

My characters:  
Carrie Wilcox (Adam's girlfriend)  
Mark Stratford, Nigel Anderson, Paula Banfield, Celest Banfield  
Nadine (NYPD Dispatch Operator)  
Michael & Karen Dreyer  
Brad Powell  
Maureen & Walter Jackson

  
Chapter 20: "Suppressed Memories"  


His head was pounding, his ears felt like they were going to explode, his sinuses were congested, and it hurt to swallow. But Flack was not sick. He couldn't be. Because he wouldn't admit it. He preferred to take the 'speak no evil, think no evil' approach when it came to germs. No, he was well, he'd said so, to several overly inquisitive colleagues already today, and that made it a fact as far as he was concerned. His phone beeped at that moment, interrupting the day-long debate between his brain and his body. He flipped his phone open and read the text; "Go home". He check the caller ID, it was from Lieutenant Sythe. He looked to Sythe's office and saw him standing at the window inside his office, with his phone still in his hand. He nodded to his boss and turned back to his computer in another attempt to get some work done. After all his boss would only send him home if he was sick, and he wasn't. He was sure of it. His phone beeped again, he opened it and read; "Now". He turned to Sythe's office again, and found he was was still standing at his window, only now he had his arms crossed over his chest in an authoritative stance. Flack wished he had an office, a germ-free zone to call his own. But he didn't, so he gave in and went home, but not because he was sick, because he wasn't, he was sure of it, he'd said so.

Angell used the emergency key Flack had given her to enter his apartment. She was sure he was sleeping, as he should be, because he was sick, no matter what he claimed. She'd stopped for the cold medicine she knew wouldn't be in his bathroom cabinet and some soup. After letting herself in as quietly as possible, she went to check on him. He was asleep, as she expected, sprawled out across his bed lightly snoring, his face flush and slightly sweaty, probably from a fever.

THE NEXT MORNING...

Flack awoke the next morning feeling a little better and hoping that on the very rare possibility that this might actually be an invasion of a stray germ that it was just the 24 hour kind, so he could start counting down the hours now. He started to get up, then paused, noticing the bottle of Nyquil on the night stand. He struggled to think where it came from, especially since it was partially gone. It definitely wasn't from his medicine cabinet, because he didn't have any. Why would he, he didn't get sick. Then he noticed the damp towel and a half-empty glass of water, also on the night stand, but where was his pillow? The one Jess had made for him for his birthday. It was always on his bed. It was really strange for him not to know what was going on in his own home, and he didn't like it one bit.

A few minutes later Flack stumbled out of the bedroom, still rubbing his eyes. For someone who had slept so many hours he sure felt tired. He headed for the kitchen, but stopped on the way, surprised at noticing his girlfriend's boots by the front door. He looked around then paused, taking in the view of her sleeping on his couch. What was she doing here? When had she arrived? Why was she sleeping on his couch? Multiple questions, none of which he had answers for.

He walked slowly over to her, taking a seat on the coffee table in front of her and taking in her appearance. He first noticed where his pillow had gone to. She had it. Well, at least he had the answer to one of his questions. And although he hadn't noticed it's absence yet, he now also knew where his dress shirt from yesterday had gone, she now wore it and he smiled at thinking it looked much better on her. Her hair was across her face and he resisted the urge to run his finger across her cheek to tuck it behind her ear, lest he wake her up. The longer he stared at her the more he marveled at how beautiful she was. He loved her chocolate brown eyes that seemed to mesmerize him when they locked with his, and her beautiful smile that could bring him back from any dark mood brought on by a troubling case. But right now her eyes were closed and concealed behind long dark lashes, her face relaxed and expressionless in sleep, and her long brown curls a mess, but she was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. He drew back slightly when she stirred, hoping his presence wasn't waking her. It didn't. She stretched slightly as she repositioned herself, causing his Ranger's throw that usually hung over the back of HUC to slide to the floor. He picked it up and covered her legs with it again before abandoning his trek to the kitchen in favor of a shower.

Angell awoke to the sound of water running in the shower. Her boyfriend was up and she hoped he felt better. She stretched her legs and padded her way into the kitchen in search of coffee as she heard the water turn off.

Flack emerged from his bedroom for the second time that morning, this time to the smell of coffee and a beautiful woman standing in his kitchen. He paused at the doorway, taking in the sight. She was still in his dress shirt, which even for her 5'7" frame was till quite long on her, barely covering the shorts she wore underneath, showing off her slim legs which he found himself staring at.

"Quit staring." She said, without turning around.

"Just wondering if you needed any help." He said, stepping fully into the room.

"I may not be a chef, but I think I can figure out a toaster." She smirked as she finally turned around. "Pop Tart?" She offered as they popped from the toaster.

"Maybe later." He said, reaching for a coffee cup. "So, when exactly did you get here?"

"You don't remember much of last night, do you?" She said before biting into her Pop Tart.

Flack looked thoughtful as he poured his coffee. "Not really." He answered, causing her to arch a brow at him. "Okay, not at all." He admitted.

"Not surprised." She said, taking a seat at the small table. "You were pretty sick."

"I was not si-" He began, then stopped. "So, when did you get here?" He repeated in a softer tone.

"I came baring soup and cold medicine about seven o'clock." She answered.

"I saw the Nyquil." He stated.

"You were coughing and congested."

"And the water." He added.

"You needed to take some Tylenol for your fever."

"And the wet towel." He also added.

"Took a while for the Tylenol to kick in, you were soaked."

"And you were supposed to meet Kate for dinner last night." He said, realizing she had changed her plans because of him.

"You were sick." She stated, very matter-of-fact and with a shrug of her shoulders.

"I was no-" He began, then stopped himself with a sigh, before beginning again. "I was in good hands." He said this time, before stepping close and kissing the top of her head.

"Hey, keep your sick germs to yourself." She teased, pushing him back with just her finger to his chest, before heading into the living room to picked up her gym back from the couch, then headed for the bathroom to change.

Angell emerged a few minutes later, dressed for work and brushing her hair.

"Thanks for the night gown." She said playfully as she handed him back his shirt, then put on her boots. "You on at noon?" She asked and saw him nod. "I'll see you then."

But he didn't want her to go just yet and reached for her hand, "Hey, don't I get to thank my nurse before she leaves?" He teased, pulling her close for a kiss.

But she cut him off by pressing her finger to his lips instead, "Uh, uh, Don,... I love you, but I meant what I said about keeping your germs to yourself." She pulled his head down and kissed his forehead instead. "Oh good, your fever's gone." She noted, then turned with a smile and left.

Before Angell reached her car, her phone rang, there was a scene and she would meet Hawkes there. She was soon sat at a light in rush hour traffic. As she waited for green, she noted the traffic officer, he looked familiar but she just couldn't place him. Soon the light had changed and just as she cleared the intersection it donned on her,... that traffic cop was Caine!

Thirty minutes later Angell arrived at the scene, a tattoo parlor in South Manhattan. She walked past several officers, all snickering as they tried to sneak a peek in the window. Hawkes was inside taking pictures when she entered, then stopped in her tracks. "Oh my God." She mumbled out.

"Hey, Angell." Hawkes greeted, pausing to look up form his camera and amused at her expression. "Meet Nigel Anderson and Paula Banfield." He said, handing their wallets over, via his gloved hand. "Kinda gives new meaning to 'PDA', doesn't it?"

"Yeah. That it does." Was all she could answer as she circled the chair the victims were in, taking in the most unusual scene before her. The man was young, mid-twenties, with short dark spiked hair and lots of tattoos. The woman was about the same age, with blond hair that would probably reach her waist if not pinned up as it currently was. "Who found them?"

"Customer. He thought the shop opened at eight, so when the door was locked, he peeked in the window..." Hawkes informed her without finishing.

"... and got an eye full." Angell finished.

"Both reek of alcohol and have needle marks on their arms." Hawkes stated.

"Heroin?" Angell inquired.

"Probably." He answered with a nod.

"Hoping it would dull the pain?" She guessed.

"Wasn't worth it." Hawkes said, stating the obvious.

"Well, I know it takes two, but so does tattooing, so where is our artist?" Angell inquired, taking in the incomplete art work on the female's back.

"I'll dust the tattooing guns for prints next. Hopefully that will get us an answer." Hawkes stated.

"I need to find out who own's this place, then maybe we'll know how these two got in here." Angell stated, just before a noise was heard. Angell drew her gun and gestured to an officer just inside the door to join her. She knew Hawkes was a great doctor and CSI, but he wasn't a cop, and she needed backup she could depend on. She headed towards the noise at the back of the parlor, the officer right behind her.

They made their way to the back door just as it opened via a set of keys in a man's hand. "Freeze!" Angell instructed, startling the man and causing him to look up at them in obvious surprise. "Let me see your hands."

The man was in his forties, with dark wavy hair, and lots of tattoos showed off by a muscle shirt. He complied instantly and identified himself as Mark Stratford, the owner.

Once they had seen Mr. Stratford's ID and confirmed he was unarmed, they led him into the parlor to hopefully answer some questions about the two victims occupying only one of his chairs.

"Oh, my God." Stratford gasped as he got within view of them. "What the-"

"I've finished photographing and collecting evidence, so I was able to covered them. Well, part of them anyway." Hawkes explained to Angell.

"Are they-?" Stratford all but whispered, taking in the sight before him, including the pile of clothes on the floor.

"Yes, Mr. Stratford. They are." Angell answered in her best attempt at remaining professional. "Do you know who they are?" She asked, already knowing their identity, but needing to find out of Stratford knew them.

Stratford tore his gaze away from the bodies, "Um, yeah. That's Nigel. Nigel Anderson, he works here." He confirmed.

"And the woman?" Angell inquired, hoping he knew her as well.

"I think that's his girlfriend Paula. I've only met her once, so I'm not positive, but I think so. I remember her long blond hair and virgin skin, but I don't think he ever mentioned her last name." He answered.

"Virgin skin?" Hawkes sought to clarify.

"Skin that's never had ink." Angell interjected, looking up from her note book. "But she can't claim that anymore." She added, eyeing the fresh art work on Paula Banfield's back.

MEANWHILE...

"Taylor." Was Mac's simple way of answering his phone as he looked away from his computer screen to see that dispatch was calling him.

"Detective Taylor, I'm calling to inform you of an Employee Address Alert." Nadine said.

"Regarding?" Mac questioned in a tone of concern.

"9-1-1 just received a call about a gas leak at an apartment complex at 1282 East 54th. The EAA was activated because we have an Adam Ross from your crime lab listing that address as his residence." She explained. "Is Mr. Ross there at the lab?"

"No, he's not. His shift doesn't start till noon today." Mac informed her as he began pacing his office.

"I see." Nadine all but whispered out, as this situation was not looking good.

"Are there,... any fatalities?" Mac asked in his usual calm voice, but feeling anything but calm on the inside.

"Yes, sir, there are. But we don't know who or how many yet. The gas company is in route, as are ambulances." Nadine said. She really hated making these kinds of calls.

"We're on our way." Mac said, ending the call. "Stella!"

FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER...

"So he had a key?" Angell clarified with Stratford.

"Yeah, he did. For when I went on vacation or whatever." Stratford answered as he stood behind the front counter and hit the print button on the computer. "Here ya go. That's everyone who works here, and they're all licensed with the State Health Department." He said, handing her the paper that emerged from the printer.

"Thank you Mr. Stratford, this will help us determine who was here and did the tattooing on them." Angell said. "Here's my card, please call if you think of anything else."

"And here's my card." Stratford said, handing one to her. "In case you ever decide to lose your virginity." He added.

Angell herd Hawkes try to stifle a smirk before she even had a chance to respond. She turned towards him slowly and gave him a glare, then turned back to Stratford. "I'm good." Was all she said, sliding her sleeve up to show him her tattoo. "Hey, Hawkes." Angell called out, stepping away from the front counter. "I'm gonna head back to the precinct. Call me when you're done running prints." She said, hearing sirens in the distance as she turned to head for the front door.

"Will do. I'm just packing up now." She heard Hawkes replied.

JUST ACROSS THE STREET...

With lights flashing and sirens blaring, Mac pulled over, a block down from the apartment complex, parking far enough down the street to stay out of the way of EMS units. He, Stella, and Messer got out to retrieve their kids from the back of the Avalanche.

"Mac? Mac!" They all heard as they exited the Avalanche.

"It's Angell." Stella said, pointing across the street.

"What's going in?" Angell questioned as she approached in a hurry.

"There's a gas leak at Adam's apartment complex." Stella answered, gesturing to the building down the street where trucks from the gas company were blocking off traffic and ambulances could be seen coming from the other direction.

"Adam's not there, is he?" Angell asked in concern, to anyone who would answer her.

"His shift doesn't start till noon and he's not answering his phone." Messer answered in a somber tone.

"Let's go." Mac ordered, a note of authority in his voice.

"Wait." Angell said, "Hawkes is here at the scene with me. He could be of help."

"You go get him, then join us." Mac instructed, not wanting to wait any longer.

Angell went back across the street and into the tattoo parlor to get Hawkes, then they ran down the street to join the others. "Any news yet?" Angell asked Messer as soon as she and Hawkes arrived.

"We're waiting on someone from the gas company to come talk to us. The building's not secured yet, so we can't go in." He answered, frustration obvious in his stance and voice.

"I'm gonna go let the paramedics know I'm here, in case they need extra hands." Hawkes announced before headed towards the ambulances. "Hey, someone keep me posted!" He called back.

Angell and Messer both gave him an acknowledging wave and hoped they would be conveying good news very soon.

It was another ten minutes before someone from the gas company came over. "Detective Taylor?" The tall man asked. His name tag read Brad Powell.

"I'm Detective Taylor." Mac indicated. "What can you tell us?"

"With the way the lines are laid out in this building, the leak has been contained to the east side of the right wing." Powell began as he rolled out blueprints to the U-shaped building and made indications as he continued, "This wing is the one effected, but only on the east side of the hallways."

"How many floors?" Messer asked. He and Flack had been to Adam's before and he vaguely remembered the layout.

Powell sighed. He'd been told that one of the residents was an NYPD member and knew the group before him would be colleagues and that he was about to give them either great relief or grief. "All of them." He answered.

Mac, Stella, and Angell all knew Messer had been to Adam's apartment and were now looking at him for any indication of news.

Messer cleared his throat, "Adam's is #422." He stated, not wanting to come right out and say what he already knew.

Mac looked at the map before him and found #422.

"Is his apartment in the right wing?" Stella reluctantly asked, then saw Mac nod and felt Messer's hand on her shoulder.

"Is his apartment on the East side of the hall?" Angell asked, and they watched Mac slowly nod again.

"Um, how soon until we can get in there?" Stella finally asked Powell.

"The gas was shut off as soon as we arrived, about twenty minutes ago. Then once the problem area was determined, they began a door-to-door, opening all the windows as they went. It should be aired out and safe to enter in another ten minutes." Powell answered.

"Did they start the door-to-door on the bottom floor?" Mac asked and watched Powell nod. "Are they checking for survivors as they go?"

"Yes, they are. But no one has been found alive so far. Our head engineer has determined that the leak started in the basement, either late last night or very early this morning. The gas worked it's way via the air duct system, so the residents on the bottom floors were exposed first." Powell answered.

"So these poor folks went to bed last night and just never woke up this morning?" Messer asked in a somber voice, thinking of his friend and colleague.

Powell did not answer, just nodded an affirmative. "When it's clear to go in, there will be someone stationed at each floor to indicate which apartments have bodies in them." He finally said, then turned away to answer his radio.

The four of them waited several more minutes in silence, no words could possibly help at this time. They noticed news crews and area residents gathering beyond the barricades that had been set up in both directions to keep people from getting to close.

"Detectives." Powell said as he returned. "It's clear for you to go in, but you'll have to take the stairs."

"Listen, I know we all want to go check on Adam first thing, but let's also remember that we're here to do a job." Mac said, then paused, "We have to determine if this was an accident, or if foul play was involved." And with that they all headed for the entry.

As they approached the entry they saw Hawkes kneeling over a gurney, doing CPR on the only resident that had been found alive and now he was trying to save him. He had been on the top floor where the gas leak was at it's weakest.

It felt like Adam lived on the 44th floor with the way the stairs seemed to go on forever, their anxiety level building with each step. When they finally reached the 4th floor a man from the gas company was there to greet them. They noted his white hard hat, the gas company logo on his navy blue coveralls - with the name 'Adam' ironically stitched there as well - and the gas mask he no longer needed was now hung around his neck.

"You folks with the crime lab?" Adam asked, checking their badges. "Powell said you wanted to check #422."

"That's right." Mac stated. "Any more survivors? Other than the one they're trying to revive down stairs?" He asked.

The man shook his head, then flipped the pages on his clipboard. "Number 422. One male." Was all he said, an apologetic look on is face.

They all approached the door to apartment #422 much slower than necessary, none really wanting to go in, but needing to know for sure. A paper was taped to the door, indicating it had been searched and what the findings were. The door was unlocked, they wall were, as the building had been cleared. Mac took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

Mac and Stella immediately noticed the lingering stench of rotten eggs, and exchanged a knowing look. It had clearly reminded both of them of the fake gas leak at the lab years ago when they were invaded by the Irish Mob. But at the moment that paled in comparison to the idea of their friend and colleague being dead in the next room.

Mac glanced around Adam's apartment. He'd never been there before. It was pretty much what he expected; sparse shabby furniture, but expensive entertainment equipment. T-shirts, shoes, and other clothes littered the floor, while DVDs and video games were piled high on the coffee table next to X-Box controls and an empty pizza box.

They all soon found himself in front of what they assumed was Adam's bedroom door. Him having the late shift would surely have meant he was sleeping when the leak had occurred and they all dreaded the idea of going in and seeing his dead body in his bed, looking as if he was just still asleep, but knowing he wasn't.

It occurred to Angell at that moment that the others were so much closer to Adam than she was. She and Adam had both worked for the NYPD about the same length of time and she though he was a great guy, but they obviously worked more closely with him given all the time they spent together in the lab. She knew none of them wanted to be the first to make a move, so she chose to do it for him, and reached to push the door open.

Angell stepped into the bedroom, eyeing the figure in the bed as she walked around it slowly. The blue comforter pulled high, revealing only brown hair against the white pillowcase. His arm stretched out under the pillow and she saw the hand extended out from underneath it, thinking his wrist is where they would have checked for a pulse. Then she saw something, there was a ring. She bent down to see his face, and yes, it was a man, but there was no beard, no face of Adam. She felt herself suck in a breath, "It's not him." She stated, looking up at the others who had remained near the door, as if waiting for her to confirm the dreadful truth so they wouldn't have to.

"What?" The all asked in a united tone of surprise and relief before rushing around the bed to see for themselves.

"Look." Was all Angell said as she pulled back the comforter allowing them to all see for themselves. "First I saw the wedding ring, and then there was no beard, and then the face wasn't his." She rattled off in almost excitement, yet feeling bad that someone else was dead instead.

Mac needed a moment as relief washed over him while he tried to answer his ringing phone. "Taylor." He managed to say.

"Mac, it's Hawkes. You're not gonna believe this,... I just heard from Adam." Hawkes said in an excited tone.

"Where is he? Why didn't he answer his phone?" Mac asked, his voice a mixture of exasperation and relief.

"He said his phone was off for charging before his shift later and that he's been house sitting for a friend." Hawkes explained.

"House sitting?" Mac repeated. "So does he know who this dead man in his bed is?" He almost huffed, the stress of the morning finally catching up to him.

"Yeah, Mac. He does. It's a friend of his." Hawkes answered slowly, understanding the anxiety in Mac's voice, but feeling bad for their friend and colleague. "Adam's on his way over."

Angell waited with the others in Adam's living room as they waited for him to arrive. There was little else she could do at this point as she'd have to wait for Powell to send her a report from the gas company once their engineer was finished with his investigation to determine if there was a crime to solve or if this was all just a terrible accident. For right now, they were all relieved it was not Adam in that bed, but knew they were about to see his response to his friend being dead instead.

Adam rushed through the front door of his apartment a few minutes later, coming to an abrupt halt just inside the doorway at seeing them all in his living room. Angell noticed he was breathing hard and realized he would have run up the same stairs they had come up earlier. She could only imagine what he was going through and thinking. His girlfriend Carrie slowly came up behind him, pausing in the doorway and putting a hand on his shoulder, her silent show of support. But that's what Angell would expect, what everyone who knew her would expect, because Carrie was very shy and didn't talk to many people. Adam crossed his arm over his chest to place his hand on Carries, turning slightly to her. She only gave him a slight nod, another silent show of support.

The shaky intake of air was heard around the room, as an equally shaky hand was ran through his hair. Adam was obviously trying to muster up what he needed from within himself to go into the bedroom. It took him a few moments, and a few more deep breaths, but he found it, and slowly made his way across the room to his destination.

Carrie remained quietly in the doorway as the four sat in the living room waiting for Adam to return, but he didn't. So they eventually got up and went into the bedroom, finding Adam sat against the wall. He had obviously backed himself as far away from the bed as he could within the confines of the small room, then slid down the wall. He currently sat with his knees pulled up, his arms wrapped around his legs, and his head on his knees. None of them wanted to bother him, but it was clear that he hand no intentions of moving any time soon.

"Adam." Mac eventually said, bending a knee down to the floor beside him. "Adam, can you tell us who your friend is." He requested in a gentle manner, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Adam raised his head slowly but without speaking yet. His eyes were red, he'd obviously been crying, not that anyone cared about that or could blame him.

"Michael was a soldier." Adam eventually said in a low voice. "We uh, we went to college together. Took, um, computer courses together." He paused, rubbing the palm of his hands nervously before continuing. "He went into the Army afterwards, he, um, used his computer skills to program unmanned tanks. He, uh, he did what he could to make sure as many of his fellow soldiers came home as possible."

"What was he doing here, in your apartment?" Mac urged.

Adam took his time before speaking in a slightly shaky voice. "He was, uh, on leave. In New York for his father's funeral. He's stationed out of Virginia, but my place is closer to his parent's house, so, um, I said he could stay here if he wanted, because I'd be gone house sitting anyway."

Angell made a silent gesture to Mac, indicating for him to ask Adam about Michael Dreyer's wedding ring. She could tell Adam was uncomfortable talking with all of them standing around like they were, and thought it best if the questions continued coming from just Mac for right now.

"Adam." Mac said to regain the younger man's attention. "Was Michael married? He's wearing a ring."

Adam nodded, "Karen... she's, um, still in Afghanistan. He's, um, he's scheduled to go back and rejoin her next week." Adam paused, then shook his head as if realizing something, then struggled to his feet. "I have to go. I, um, I have to call his mom."

Angell followed Mac out of the room, right behind Adam. They stopped in the living room and watched as Adam paused in the doorway to receive a hug from Carrie. It was as if he needed her encouragement for what he had to do.

"You don't have to feel guilty that it wasn't him, Mac." Angell said as soon as Adam and Carrie had left. He looked up at her as if surprised. "We all felt the same way." She admitted.

Mac nodded in understanding and agreement, then looked to Danny, who had walked up behind them, the expression on his face clearly in agreement. "I'm going to go talk to Powell again, see if we've got a crime scene or not." He finally said before leaving.

NOON AT THE NYPD CRIME LAB...

"It's orthodontic wax." Angell stated as soon as she entered the room, referring to what was inside the two inch clear plastic container found at the tattoo shop, that was now in an evidence bag in Monroe's hands.

"Orthodontic wax." Monroe repeated, taking a closer look at the object in her hand that contained narrow strips of wax. "Okay, I can see that now. How do you know about 'orthodontic wax'?" She asked, setting the evidence down. Angell's eye roll did not go unnoticed, "Spill." Monroe ordered, placing a gloved hand on her hip.

Angell smiled, well, smirked would be more accurate, before speaking, "I am, or at least was, all too familiar with it, unfortunately." She droned out, clearly not enjoying the memory.

"You had braces as a kid?" Monroe inquired, clearly surprised for some reason.

Angell sighed heavily, "Yeah, this row of Chicklets in my mouth did not come easy, or cheap, according to my father." She said, taking a seat on the stool. "Braces, acne, and training bras. Oh, the joys of surviving adolescence and junior high." She droned out again.

Monroe laughed, "Oh, yeah. I remember those 'fun' times, too. And to make it worse, my mom, well, we called her the 'paparazzi mom' because it seemed like she always had a camera in her hands. Always insisting that she was helping us keep the memories alive."

"Luckily for me, my dad wasn't like that." Angell said, part of her thinking that she would gladly put up with embarrassing photos if only it meant a mother to take them. "He relied on those annual school pictures."

"Oh yeah, the ones where the volunteer mother was there to comb your hair all funny, and all the boys ended up looking like it was the '50s again." Monroe said, making them both laugh.

Angell nodded as she laughed, "Yeah, but I conveniently lost my picture order envelope, every year. So-"

"You didn't." Monroe said in a mock scold.

Angell shrugged, "My dad didn't even know until my brothers all came home from school one day with their envelopes of pictures and I didn't." She paused to see the stern look on her friend's face. "Let's just say that the Angell family photo album lacks any photos of me for a few years."

"None at all?" Monroe asked in disappointment.

"Nope." Angell stated as she stood, "What few were taken, I managed to get my hands on and burn." She added with a smile of self-satisfaction.

"Hey, ladies." They heard and turned to see Flack entering. Angell was pleasantly surprised at her no-longer-sick boyfriend's voice, devoid of any wheezing or coughing. "What's up?" He asked.

"Jess was just telling me that there are no photos of her when she was in junior high." Monroe stated, as if still stunned at the thought. This really bugged her for some reason. Must be a mom thing.

"Yeah there are." Flack refuted, then paused at the surprised look on his girlfriend's face and the almost relieved look on Lindsay's. "I've seen 'em."

"What?" Angell asked in surprised as she suddenly stood, hands going to her hips. "Where?" She demanded.

"Your dad showed 'em to me." He said, understanding what was about to happen. He could see that she was clearly flustered, so he continued, "Since there were very few school pictures of you, and any others seemed to keep disappearing, your Aunt Gail found the negatives and made him a new set." He explained with what could only be described as a smirk on his face. "You were cute in braces, by the way." He added in a teasing tone with a smile before walking back out to go find Danny.

Angell was clearly not amused, but Monroe interrupted her, "Okay, so back to this wax..."

ABOUT 2:00 IN THE BULLPEN...

Flack sat at his desk in the bullpen, Lucy Messer on his lap facing towards him. He was about to offer her a Goldfish Cracker from her goody bag when she suddenly pulled the sippy cup away from her mouth and sneezed.

Her eyes went wide. "I eeze." She told him, as if surprised.

"You sneezed?" He repeated, to see if he could get her to talk more.

"Eeze in I oze." She explained.

"You had a sneeze in your nose?" He asked, and watched her nod with her blue eyes still wide. "Do you have another one?" He added, thinking about how sneezes always seem to come in twos.

But Lucy didn't answer. She cocked her head to the side as if confused. He shouldn't be surprised, it's not like any thirteen month old would know that sneezes seem to always come in twos.

"Are you trying to confuse my daughter?" He heard Monroe say as she and Angell approached from behind him.

Flack ignored Monroe and her comment. "You don't know?" He asked Lucy.

"No kno'." She attempted to answer, with a shake of her head that sent blond curls bouncing.

"That's okay." He assured her.

"'Tay." She squeaked out as she scrunched up her shoulders and began to giggle, then put her sippy cup back in her mouth to drain the last of the apple juice in it.

"How's the case going?" Flack asked Angell as he took the empty cup from Lucy in exchange for two Goldfish Crackers, one for each of her little hands.

"Solved." She replied flatly as she took a seat behind her desk.

"That was fast. Too bad all our cases don't wrap that quickly." He stated, while handing Lucy back to her mother.

"Thanks for watching her, Don. I've gotta run. See you both later." Monroe said with a wave, which Lucy copied.

Flack returned a good bye wave to Lucy, then turned his attention back to his girlfriend who immediately continued.

"Turns out, it was an insurance scam." She explained.

"An insurance scam?" Flack repeated as he leaned back in his chair.

Angell nodded before taking a seat at her own desk, "Maureen Jackson, widow of the now late Walter Jackson, did not die in the gas leak, because she was up in Albany helping their daughter take care of a new baby."

"Mrs. Jackson was responsible for the gas leak?" He inquired, then watched his girlfriend shake her head, so he shut up and motioned for her to continue.

"Seems that Mr. Jackson was diagnosed with cancer last year, only their life insurance company found a loop hole in his policy and doesn't cover long-term health issues like that. He did however have another policy, through his work, that covers accidental death, so he decided to take matters into his own hands." She explained.

"So it was Mr. Jackson that was responsible for the gas leak." He stated and watched her nod in confirmation.

"He'd left a letter to his wife with a friend, that was to be given to her after he died. Obviously he never intended for the cops to read it. Anyway, it explained that he was afraid his medical expenses would leave them broke and he didn't want to leave her a widow unable to afford to stay in their apartment. So he planned his 'accidental death' for when she was away visiting their new granddaughter." She said.

"And he didn't care that he could be taking a whole building full of innocent sleeping people with him?" Flack asked, obviously shocked and irritated.

Angell shrugged, "Not sure we'll ever know. The scratches from using a wrench on the pipes in the basement were obvious. Although, according to Mac and Brad Powell from the gas company, they say it's possible Mr. Jackson didn't know how the gas lines went throughout the complex and may have thought he was only exposing the bottom floor where their's was one of only a few apartments. Or it could have been he wouldn't have know how the rusty old pipes would leak like a soaker hose into all the other floors."

"You're right, Jess. The truth may never be known." He stated.

ABOUT 3:45 ON 91ST...

"Hard to image; one minute you're having a debate over pizza and the next thing you know you're holding a bleeding kid." Messer stated from the passenger seat of Flack's car as they waited at the intersection on 91st.

"Yeah." Flack all but mumbled in agreement. It was hard to imagine going from looking at pizza sauce to looking at blood. He'd never liked that part of the job. "We should be there soon. If this intersection ever clears, that is."

"There's a traffic cop up there, and it's not rush hour yet, so I wonder what the hold up is." Messer said, as he rolled his window down. "Hope you don't mind," He added, referring to the window. "In case you're still sick. Oh, and thanks for telling me that earlier, ya know, before I dropped Lucy off. I mean, I appreciate you watching her for a few minutes, but if I'd have know you'd been sick..."

Flack ignored his friend, mostly because he was wrong. He hadn't been sick, he'd said so, and that was that. Flack was leaning slightly to his left for a better look ahead, stared at the traffic cop. There was something familiar about him, but Flack didn't give it another thought as, fortunately, traffic began to move. As soon as the car cleared the intersection it donned on Flack who that traffic cop was. 'That was Caine!' He realized, then wondered if Caine had seen him, but he wasn't sure why it would matter.

BACK IN THE BULLPEN, ABOUT 6:00...

"I mean it, buddy. If you don't smile I'm gonna take that and e-mail it to all the girls at your school." Flack said to Sam Harris, referring to the goofy picture on the computer screen.

"What if I don't recognize anyone?" Sam asked with sad eyes.

Flack knew Sam was having a hard time concentrating because he was worried about his older brother Nicky. "Sometimes photos help." He told the boy, "Go ahead, click that mouse." He instructed and watched as Sam complied. "Recognize any of those ugly mugs?" He asked, but Sam just shook his head. "Click again."

Angell watched from across the room as her boyfriend sat at his desk with Sam. A hallow feeling enveloping her, a feeling she hadn't felt in a long time, almost a year. She had buried it deep and it had taken this long to resurface again. She took a deep breath, she had to get out of there.

Flack watched from across the room as his girlfriend made her way out of the bullpen, the look of sadness on her face made him sad as well. He gave Sam instructions to keep looking at the mug shots as he rose from his chair.

"Lieutenant?" Flack spoke from Lieutenant Sythe's doorway.

"Flack, come in." Sythe instructed. Flack did so and closed the door behind him. "How's it going with the kid?"

"Fine." He answered quickly. "He's trying to remember, but it's a lot for a twelve year old who just watched his brother get shot." Sythe nodded, waiting for Flack to speak. "I'm actually here to talk to you about Angell."

"Something wrong?" Sythe questioned.

A flashback to the sad look on her face hit Flack before he spoke, "Not exactly." He paused, "It's May now. Almost one year since she was shot."

A look of realization crossed Sythe's face. "How is she handling it?" He needed to know, needed to make sure all his Detectives were on their game and not distracted.

"She hasn't said anything, but I think it's on her mind now as the date gets closer." Flack said. "I was thinking, if you haven't written the schedule yet, maybe you could make sure we both have that day off."

"Got plans?" Sythe asked, grabbing a pencil and scratching himself a note on a nearby Post-it.

"Not yet. But I'm wondering if distraction wouldn't be best." Flack said, almost as if thinking out loud.

"Keep her busy that day. Not give her mind any time to think about it." Sythe said, also thinking out loud.

Flack nodded, "I'll have to give it some more thought. But for now, if you could-"

"I'll take care of the schedule." Sythe interrupted. "You just take care of her."

NYPD GYM, ABOUT 7:30...

Angell lay on the floor breathless, the kick boxing bag still swaying above her. In the last two hours, she had found herself sad, then frustrated, then angry, then afraid. She took it out on the bag, 'cause it was either that or go home alone and eat the entire pint of double chocolate fudge ice cream concealed behind the bag of frozen vegetables in the freezer. 'I don't need more guilt' she'd told herself when she opted for going to the gym instead of straight home.

She slowly sat up and toweled herself off, grateful there were few people in the gym that evening. She didn't need an audience, just an outlet for her anger, and every other emotion that had flooded her since... since she saw her boyfriend with Sam. He was just a scared kid, and she knew he was in good hands, but it had been the catalyst. Why did she have to feel this way?

It was a stupid question. She already knew the answer. She'd buried something painful so deep that it had not surfaced for a long time, almost a year. She found herself growing frustrated again, not just at what had happened, but that she'd nearly forgotten it had happened.

THE NEXT DAY...

Flack stood in the dimly lit room next to Sam, a reassuring hand on the kid's shoulder. He could feel him shaking. "Take your time. Get a good look." He said in a calm tone.

"You're sure he can't see me through the glass?" Sam asked, nervousness evident in his young voice.

Flack nodded, trying to calm the kid and give him confidence, make him feel empowered in a scary situation. "You recognize anyone you see?"

AN HOUR LATER...

"It's nice to see a smile on your face." Flack stated, then gestured at the coffee pot in his hand to see if she wanted any. He was hoping May 20th would come and go without any effects on her, but was now sure that was not going to be the case and he would enjoy any smiles he could get from her in the meantime.

Angell shook her head, declining the offer of coffee. "Mac and I just walked in on Adam-"

"Oh, that explains everything." Flack joked, knowing anything to do with Adam would be entertaining, and probably entertaining.

"If you see him later, ask about the pig." She suggested with a smirk.

Flack raised a brow, knowing it would be a funny story. If Adam could spit it out, that is. He was a funny guy, but sometimes his stammering didn't do much for the punch line.

"But at least he's dealing better about his friend Michael." She added with a sigh. They both knew Adam was dealing with his friend's death in his own unique way, at work and in front of others, that he would mourn later when Carrie was there to comfort him.

"That's good. That must have been a hard call for him to have to make to Michael's mother." He said, then paused, "I meant it about the smile." He said, taking a step closer to her, glad there was no one else in the break room.

"I'm about to head out to dinner. I'm meeting Kate." Angell said, hoping the subject of any sadness he might have witnessed from her yesterday would not be brought up. She hadn't fully deal with the 'why' of her sadness, and she certainly wasn't ready to explain it to him.

"Tell her 'hi' for me. I'm heading out with Danny and Lindsay to take Sam back to the alley." He said, before taking a drink of his coffee.

DINNER...

"Spill." Detective Kate Panner demanded from across the table. Although her stern voice was not raised, it was definitely demanding.

Angell looked up form her glass to see her friend staring at her, an expectant expression on her face. She needed to tell her, she really did, it would make her feel better. But knowing what she needed to do and doing it were two different things. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment, grateful her friend was giving her the time she needed to collect her thoughts. "It's this case." Angell began, but was cut off.

"This is more than just a case, Jess." Panner stated with an arched brow. She wanted to give her friend the time she needed to say what needed to be said, but she wasn't about to let her tip-toe around the truth either.

Angell took another deep breath. "It's not my case. It's Don's." She paused, wanting to continue, but still wrapping her head around how to say it. "The witness is a twelve year old boy, and Don has spent the day with him." She added before looking back down at her glass.

Panner had a blank stare on her face. She was confused, but trying not to show it. She'd hoped her friend would continue, but it became obvious she wasn't going to, well, at least not without some prodding. "Okay." She paused, but again, nothing... "And?" She urged.

Angell was going to have to spill. 'Oh, there's an ironic word to chose', she thought to herself, considering that's what her friend wanted her to do to begin with. Another deep breath. She wished this wasn't so hard, it was bad enough living with it, but verbalizing it just seemed to make it more... true. She'd buried this little fact, this little detail so deep that she'd almost forgotten about it herself. Hard to imagine 'forgetting' something so personal and so important, something that could effect the rest of your life,... but she had. "Fifty weeks, and two days ago." She finally said in a sad tone, well, it was more thinking out loud than anything.

"The shooting." Panner thought out loud, not even surprised her friend had the date nailed down to the exact number of days. No wonder there was such a sad expression on her face and even in her voice. "It was a terrible day, Jess."

Angell nodded. "It changed my life, forever." She sipped at her soda, her throat suddenly feeling dry.

FLASHBACK (from Pay Up, chapter 8)...

Flack is awoke by the sound of the shift change at the ICU nurse's station. He needed a shower, a shave, some coffee, and to figure out how to get this kink out of his neck from sleeping on that loveseat. But all that would wait a few more minutes because Jess was stirring. Right back to talking to her softly and stroking her hair,... now this is how he preferred starting his day. Soon Dr. Rawles comes in and needs to talk to Jess about her injuries. Flack kisses her goodbye and heads for a few hours at home.

After Dr. Rawles explained to Angell why she had been sedated she backtracks to the shooting, which Angell remembers well. "Your shoulder injury was a thru & thru, and aside from the bruised and collapsed lung, a standard repair procedure. But your abdominal would was very complicated," she began as she recounted the numbers... 1 hole in, 5 fragments, 19 lacerations. "Those fragments ping-ponged around your insides pretty good, Detective. Not only was your intestinal track full of holes, but your spleen and a kidney were also damaged."

Angell just laid there, taking it all in. "Is the damage permanent?" She finally asked in a tone barely above a whisper.

"It's too early to tell. Dr. Peterson and I both agree that your spleen shouldn't be an issue, but we'll be keeping a close eye on your kidney function to track your progress."

"And?..." Angell asked, sensing that there was something more.

"Do you have children, Detective?" Dr. Rawles asked.

That was an odd question. "No." she replied, almost tentatively.

"There is one more thing. One of the fragments went thru your left ovary."  
Jess already knew where this was going. "We had to remove it. I'm sorry. If you already had children or were done having children, this probably wouldn't be a big deal. But since you have none yet, it probably is."

Angell looked away, not knowing what to say or how to respond. She hadn't gotten that far in life yet, she wasn't ready to think about having a baby.

"You still have one ovary left, so this doesn't have to mean you can't have children some day." Dr. Rawles could tell by Angell's silence that she was processing. "I just wanted to assure you that I don't have to reveal the specifics of your injuries in my report. A damaged spleen is one thing, but a lost ovary is probably something you'd prefer to keep private, I assume."

Angell looked back at Dr. Rawles and nodded. This was something she really didn't want her co-workers to know about, or her father, or Flack even, at least for now.

"I understand, Detective. The report will say only that there were 'extensive internal injuries'."

(end flashback)

"Do you remember all the, uh, damage, that the doctor said the bullets did?" She asked, hoping Kate would catch on and she wouldn't have to actually verbalize it.

Panner pursed her lips together as she thought back to a day she'd prefer to forget. The bullets had fragmented, designed to do just that. So much damage was done; spleen, a kidney, an ov-. Oh crap. She knew that Jess had told only their friend Detective Susan Gerber and herself, planning on telling Don later if things progressed and became serious between them. "Jess, did you ever tell Don?" She finally managed to say.

Angell stared straight ahead, more in a daze than looking at anything specific. "No." She breathed out, almost as if she was surprised by that fact herself.

This was all starting to make sense now. "You two have become pretty serious over the last year." Panner began, wanting to proceed, but choosing her words carefully. She was definitely surprised Don didn't know about this. "You've even talked about kids."

"I know." Angell said, as she suddenly deflated and sunk further into the booth. "And don't ask me how come this never got brought up, 'cause I don't know." She added in an almost exasperated tone, but finally making eye contact.

"Does anyone besides Susan and I know? Have you told anyone else? Your family?" She asked, still trying to keep her voice level and her tone calm.

Angell shook her head. "No one." She said, returning herself to upright in her seat and leaning forward, elbows on the table as she began gesturing with her hands as she talked. "I can't believe I could push this thing so far down that it was like... like I'd forgotten about it, or like it never even happened." She paused, realizing it sounded so ridiculous to say.

"So,... Don,... today,... with the kid." Panner prodded again.

"Yeah." She said with a sigh, then a small smile came to her face as she rested her chin on the back of her hands. "You should've seen him, Kate. He looked so,... in his element."

"You two will make great parents some day." Panner said.

"Uh, Kate, did you just have a brain freeze? Did you just suddenly forget that I lost an ovary as a result of that shooting?" Angell asked in surprise, then suddenly looked around. Not wanting any other patrons to hear her.

"No,... I did not just forget anything, Jess." Panner stated, leaning slightly forward, elbows resting on the table top, almost mirroring her friend's posture. "Did you forget that you lost just one? Did you forget that only changed the odds of you having a child? It didn't totally wipe out all possibility, Jess. God gave you two of them." She smirked, trying to lighten the heavy mood and bring her friend's thoughts into proper perspective.

Angell let the words sink into her mind as she tried to calm her inner turmoil. Soon their dinner arrived and the rest of their evening was spent on other topics, including the need for another dinner soon for their friend Detective Susan Gerber's birthday.

THE NEXT DAY...

Angell could hear her boyfriend's voice from across the bullpen. His conversation with Stella and Hawkes seemed to be heating up. Angell headed their direction.

"But you have zero forensic evidence to prove that." Flack stated, leaning back in his chair and clearly looking like he had made a valid point the two CSIs had not thought of. He knew how much they were into backing everything up with forensic evidence, and to point out that they had none, well, that would surely make his point. "And, please, one of you tell me where those kids got a gun." He added with a touch of a smirk.

"You've gotta let go of your feelings for this kid, Flack. Sam Harris is lying to you." Stella said in a clam tone as she sat perched on the corner of his Flack's desk, hoping the Detective would see things from a different perspective.

"Sam Harris does not have it in his DNA to lie like that." Flack defended, leaning further back in his chair, obviously unconvinced, or chosing not to believe, Angell wasn't sure which.

"Unless he has a very good reason." Stella assured him as she stood fully to take her leave with Hawkes.

Angell had sat at her desk silently as she listened to the conversation while checking her e-mail. With Stella and Hawkes now gone, she let her eyes drift beyond her computer screen to where he sat, still slumped behind his desk, the visible aftermath obvious; a tormented expression on his face. She could tell he had bonded with the kid and didn't want to believe he would, or even could, lie to him. He was obviously deep in thought, so she let her gaze wonder back to her computer screen, deciding to wait and let him break the silence that surrounded their desks.

"How's your case going?" He finally asked.

She looked up from her computer to meet his gaze. It's a good thing she wasn't a suspect, she could never look into those amazing blue eyes and be able to lie. She quickly cleared her throat to clear that thought before answering him. "I'm having Celeste Banfield, a sister of the female victim, brought in for questioning."

AN HOUR LATER...

Neither Flack nor Angell wanted to be were they were at the moment; stood in the hallway outside a row of interrogation rooms. A nice romantic dinner via candlelight and music would be much preferred to what awaited them. In fact, it would be much preferred any time.

Angell wanted to say something supportive, but wasn't sure what she could say that wouldn't make him defensive. She knew Stella and Hawkes were right and that he was too emotionally close to the boy. It made her sad to think he was about to be disappointed. Before she could come up with something wise to say, Mac came down the hall. She hoped the touch to his arm had been enough to convey what she felt.

Mac approached and gave a heavy sigh before speaking, "We can always hope we're wrong." The job brought him enough grief without having to thinking a twelve year old boy had already began a life of crime. And although he had his doubts, he sincerely hoped Flack was right about the boy.

Although Flack agreed with Mac's words, it was little consolation for him to also hope for Sam Harris' innocence, so he just gave a nod of agreement and silently followed Mac into the interrogation room where Sam and his mother were waiting for them.

Angell pushed herself from the wall she had been leaning against and made her way into the adjacent interrogation room her suspect waited in.

OVER TWO HOURS LATER...

Flack watched as his girlfriend entered the bullpen, slowly making her way back to her desk with coffee in hand. His interrogation of Sam had taken only fifteen minutes, whereas her's had been a full two hours. He took in her tired appearance, but thought she looked beautiful anyway. Trying to break down a suspect could take a lot out of you, leaving you feeling almost drained. Of course her quite demeanor of late had been concerning him. He would be glad when the anniversary of the shooting that almost took her away from him would be past. Although still two weeks away, he was sure it was bothering her already. When it was past, maybe she would smile again, something she hadn't done for two days now. Two days that bothered him.

"Ya broke her, didn't ya?" He said with a smirk as she took her seat at her desk.

She sighed heavily as she sat and he got a much closer look at her; she looked tired. "Yeah." She said, setting her coffee down. "Yeah, I did." She shook her mouse to wake up her computer, needing to type up a DD-5 before going home. "How did it go with Sam?"

"They did it." He stated, surprisingly matter-of-fact with glazed over eyes that did not make contact. "Sam and his brother Nicky robbed a bank for $933 so they could help their mother pay the rent."

Angell sucked in a breath and leaned back in her chair. "Oh." Was all she could say for a moment before her attention shifted back to the handsome Detective sitting across from her. "You gonna be okay?" She asked, more concerned about him than the boys. She knew Sam and Nicky would be okay, but the expression she was looking directly at was definitely not okay.

"I'm fine." He lied, rubbing a hand over his face.

"I've heard that before." She said, thinking back to the night he had followed his sister to an AA meeting. She knew he was right, he would be okay, just, not yet.

"I'm gonna swing by the hospital later tonight, check on Sam's brother Nick before I go home. You leaving soon?" He asked.

She gave a nod as she answered, "As soon as I'm done with this report."

"I wish we could have dinner tonight." He stated, wishing more than anything that he could just take her in his arms right then and there. He really needed to hold her, to feel her close to him, to feel her arms wrapped around him.

"Tomorrow night." She assured him as she began typing. "I've got some things to take care of anyway." She added, but hoped he didn't inqure further.

Flack took a moment to just watch her type. He could finish his DD-5's so much faster if he could type as fast as she could. She was even one of those that could type a report and carry on a conversation at the same time. "Why did she do it?" He finally asked as she printed off her finished report.

Angell looked down at the report in her hand, then sighed heavily as she slightly shook her head. "She didn't. Tox report came back while I was in there. C.O.D. was a heroin overdose." She said, retaking her seat. "Celeste Banfield is a tattoo artist, and according to her, her sister Paula, the vic, wanted a tattoo. But not just any tattoo. She wanted a full back tattoo."

"Ouch." Flack interjected.

Angell nodded in agreement, before continuing. "According to Celeste, Paula wanted to impress her boyfriend Nigel Anderson, the other vic, with it. Celeste said she agreed to do the work, but couldn't at the parlor she works at because of her boss. So they decided to use the parlor where Anderson is a tattoo artist because he had a key and they could go in after hours. But when Celeste shows up, Paula and Nigel were already trippin' on some heroin he had brought to loosen Paula up because she was nervous."

"That explains the needle marks and how they died of a heroin overdoes. But not why-" Flack pauses a moment to stifle a smirk. "-why they were buck necked in the chair, and according to Sid they were actua-."

"They were." She answered simply, cutting him off, not realy wanting to elaborate on that part.

"Sid seemed quite fascinated with that part of it all." He said in a quieter tone as he leaned forward for her to hear him, and stating the obvious of the quirky M.E.

Angell nodded in agreement, regarding Sid and his quirkiness. "I figure, either the heroin did not dull the pain enough and Paula needed another distraction or the heroin turn them into exhibitionists. Either way, Celeste isn't answering any questions about that part. At least not yet." Angell commented in regards to the way the vics bodies were found; Nigel sitting in the chair with Paula facing and straddling him.

"So the art work was only partially completed because-?" Flack questioned.

"According to Celeste, she could tell Paula needed a break and used the excuse that she needed a cigarette. When she came back ten minutes later, they were both dead. She said she panicked and left 'em like that." Angell paused, noticing how he seemed to be weighing the two options. "True or not, I'm having her held until her tests come back to clear her of heroin use, too. But for right now, I'm getting out of here."

"I'll call ya later." He said as she stood to leave, wishing he could kiss her for a proper good bye.

She flashed him a smile in confirmation before leaving. She was heading for the gym again, needing to work off some more stress.

ELEVEN P.M...

Flack was reclined in HUC, his head resting on the pillow Angell had made for him for his birthday. He'd just gotten home and was talking to Angell on the phone while his dinner was in the microwave. He twirled her engagement ring on his pinky finger as he talked to her.

Angell lay back on her bed, physically drained from another kick boxing session at the gum, fidgeting with a spoon as she talked to him.

"Those kids really lucked out, Jess. Things could have turned out a whole lot worse." He said, not taking his eyes off the ring. He couldn't wait to propose to her, but her mind had been on the anniversary of the shooting lately, so he would wait until after that date had past.

"It's always nice to hear when the community steps up and helps out like that." She said, looking over at the now empty ice cream carton on her night stand. Obviously hiding it behind the bag of frozen vegetables didn't do any more good than her session at the gym had done. Her stress level was still through the roof and she hoped that when the anniversary of the shooting had passed that it would help and she would find a way to tell him the full story.

"Hey, you're not gonna believe who I saw yesterday, Jess." He stated, but got no reply. She was obviously waiting for him to say who it was. "Caine."

"Over on 91st. Right?" She inquired.

"You saw him, too?" He asked, sitting up.

"Yeah. After I left your place, on my way to meet Hawkes." She suppled, setting the licked-clean spoon in the empty ice cream carton on her nightstand.

"I'd heard that he got a year of traffic duty as part of his punishment, but thought it might be just a rumor." He said, slowly laying back on HUC again.

"Traffic duty in New York." Angell all but shuddered at the thought of it, "Almost seems fitting."

"Nothing is fitting, Jess. Not after the way he harassed you, and lots of other women, too." Flack seethed.

"Well, I did say 'almost'." She clarified.

"I got a text from Sam today." He stated, wanting to change the subject. He'd seen enough sadness from her and didn't want to dwell on a topic that could add more. "She'll be there at my folks' house for Sunday dinner."

"I got the same text." She stated, "It'll be nice to see her again."

"Speaking of dinner. Tomorrow night. You and me. A table for two. A bottle of wine. Some chicken scampi. Holding you on the dance floor." He said, closing his eyes to imagine it. He hoped she'd wear those wine colored pumps he liked to see her in, and he really did need to hold her.

"Mmmm." She breathed out. "Sounds perfect, Don."

FAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFA

So, obviously Flack attributes Angell's lack of smiles lately to the anniversary of the shooting. But it is in fact the shooting itself, well, the result of it's damage anyway, that is really bothering her. I included an excerpt form my story "Pay Up" to explain. But you might wanna read the full story for all the details, if you haven't already. All of this is groundwork for the next chapter or two that will finish Flangellizing season 6.

Regarding Caine - In addition to taking Sexual Harassment classes (aka: Work Place Sensitivity), he was required to do a fully year of traffic duty before being eligible for consideration as a Detective again. Although, he will have to be re-assigned, because no one wants him back at the 12th Precinct.

For those of you who have forgotten - HUC is the nickname for Flack's Hideously Ugly Chair that he loves.

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review before you go. 


	22. The Wrong Angel

My thanks to Serena Bancroft, JessicaFlack, and BlackAndBlueAngel for the reviews of chapter 21...

... and to all of you here right now to read this chapter, which inclues the episode "Point Of View", although I have altered the ending for my own purposes. You see, I've been reading a lot of Hawaii Five-0 stories latey, which means a lot of Steve and Danny whompage. Hence my muse deciding that our beloved Flack needs just a bit of whomp this time. Don't worry, he'll be fine, eventually, and he'll be able to propose to Angell, eventually.

It's just occured to me that I never did type in one of those 'disclaimer' things. Well, if you all haven't figured out by now that I don't own CSI:NY and I'm just in FanFiction Land here, then I'm not the one with issues, because if you've read my stories you already know that if I owned CSI:NY I never would have killed off Angell.

My returning characters for this chapter; Rachel Layne (Flack's former girlfriend from chapter 11), Detectives Kate Panner and Susan Gerber. Also mentions of Lucy, Sam, Mr. & Mrs. Flack, and Eight (their dog from French & Irish).

My new characters for this chapter; Amber Wise, Peter Quinby, Tina, Patty, Dr. Greene, Nurse Walker.

This chapter picks up the day after the previous chapter.

.

**Chapter 22: "The Wrong Angel"**

.  
FLACK'S POV...

Red. He'd see so much of it today.

This morning's vic had been covered in blood, terrified and pleading for help. He'd tried to stem the flow, applying pressure to the wound under her no-longer-white blouse, even though it caused her more pain. He'd stayed with her until the paramedics arrived, trying to keep her calm, even as he watched the red oozing between his fingers in synchronization with her pulse.

Then he'd gone after the perp, chasing him down an alley. The perp stopped beneath a neon sign to a book store. A red neon sign. Then chose not to go down without a fight. There was more blood. More red.

He could feel his clothes sticking to his skin, the blood acting like glue within the fibers of his shirt. It was afternoon before he could find the time to head to the locker room for a shower. More red, as he watched the blood-tined water go down the drain, and felt a twinge of guilt at being grateful it was not his own.

And now it was evening. More red.

Flack found himself distracted by the color of her lips.

Or maybe it was how her lips blended with the wine she was drinking.

Or maybe it was that her lipstick matched the color of her shoes.

Or maybe they were still so red from him kissing her earlier, when he'd arrived at her apartment to pick her up. Of course, by the time they finally pulled apart he'd began to wonder if they'd be ordering in instead. But he'd promised her dinner tonight; "Tomorrow night. You and me. A table for two. A bottle of wine. Some chicken scampi. Holding you on the dance floor." He'd told her. 'Sounds perfect.' Was her reply. And it was.

Of course, even if her lips weren't still red and a bit swollen from earlier, he did kiss her again out on the dance floor a few minutes ago. Not that he was really one for public displays of affection, especially passionate ones like that, but he was holding her close, just like he promised he would, and the smell of her hair was so intoxicating, and her lips were just so inviting that everyone else on the dance floor just suddenly wasn't there anymore, well, at least as far as he was concerned.

He suddenly realized those red lips he was staring at, mesmerized with, were speaking to him.

"Don?" She repeated, setting her wine glass down.

"Hmm?" He mumbled, pulling himself from his thoughts and trying to focus on her beautiful brown eyes.

She sighed and reached over to lay her right hand on top of his, which was already caressing her left hand. She picked up his large, strong hand and held it between both of hers. "Tough day?" She finally asked, knowing how the job effected him some times, and he was grateful for how much she cared.

He sighed and leaned into her gentle touch and replied, "Not any more." before calling for the check.

By ten o'clock they were back at her apartment, his arms wrapped around her slender waist as he kissed her again, and again.

By twenty after, he was still holding her as he pulled at the tie on her black silk wrap blouse. He'd snuck a peek in her shopping bag a few days prior and was just dying to find out if she was now wearing the red lace bra he'd seen in it.

But the Fabric Law was not about to let him find out if she had color coordinated her lingerie or not, as both their phones had rang and by midnight he was looking at more red; as Mac lay at the bottom of a very long drop.

.  
ANGELL'S POV...

Red. She'd seen so much of it lately.

She felt her boyfriend tugging on the wrap tie to her blouse, and she was looking forward to his response at seeing the red lace bra she'd purchased recently. But the Fabric Law struck again, and their phones had rang.

Just a short time later she stood at the railing next to Flack, looking down at Mac. Blood coming from his nose and ears.

Then she'd helped hunt down the perp while Flack stayed with Mac, waiting for the ambulance. The perp wasn't going down without a fight. There was more blood, but no ambulance was needed this time.

She saw the look of concern and anger on her boyfriend's face, illuminated in the night by the flashing red lights of the ambulance as it pulled away, taking Mac to the hospital.

Come Sunday they went for their usual dinner at Mr. & Mrs. Flack's. Sam was there, as promised, which made everyone happy. Even Eight was glad to see her. After a long afternoon of visiting, Mrs. Flack sent her home with some red tulips cut fresh from her garden.

She'd complimented Adam on his red scarf as she saw him leaving Mac's apartment a week later. He'd blushed and jokingly admonished her to not touching any of the cool stuff in Mac's apartment.

Later she listened to bathroom banter while Lindsay took a sample of the blood on the broken mirror in the men's room where the vic Ivan Paluck lay with blood coming from his nose, among other issues.

But the blood on Troy Procosi's knuckles didn't bother her so much. No, she thought a few cut up knuckles was the least that jerk deserved for responding to his pregnant girlfriend that way.

And the blood from the bird's nose took some explaining from the lab rats. Poison? Oh great, just what they wanted to deal with.

Maybe the poison caused that red rash on Ivan Paluck, too.

Red seemed to be part common in her job, she just couldn't escape it, not working in homicide anyway. But she'd seen reminders that not all red was bad; like the tulips now in her mother's vase on her table, or Adam's red scarf.

But she had not see the last of the red yet.

By early evening they were at the Manhattan Enrichment Conservatory. She heard Messer in her ear piece, saying he'd spotted Professor Scott in a security guard's uniform. Well, he was just Kevin Scott now, since being let go from Chelsea University. It hadn't been hard to figure out he was headed for the ventilation system on the roof, he just had to be stopped, quickly. Perhaps it was that sense of urgency that caused everything to go wrong. Or maybe it would have happened anyway, she wasn't sure. All she was sure of right now, was that there was more red.

She tried pulling herself away from Messer's grasp as he held her back. He said it was too dangerous to get close, and knew he was right, but she didn't care. Scott had thrown the dirt, giving himself precious seconds to remove the lid from the sarin. And now, there was red. Flack lay there bleeding from the nose, just like Ivan Paluck, just like the bird.

.  
FLACK'S HOSPITAL ROOM, LATE THAT NIGHT...

Danny Messer exited the elevator at the garage level, then headed to his car. He didn't want to leave the hospital yet, but one of them needed to get home to Lucy, and it was best that his wife be the one to stay with his best friend's girlfriend right now. He'd felt so bad holding Angell back earlier, not knowing if it was safe for anyone to go near Flack before they got the all-clear. Plus he'd promised his best friend that he would look after her, if anything were to happen to him. He was quite sure Angell was still mad at him, but he could understand that, after all, he, too, was afraid his friend would die. 'Come on, Buddy. Don't give up. You've gotta give Angell that ring soon.' He'd told his friend during the one time he was alone with him, when he was sure no one else would overhear. He didn't know if his friend had heard him, but he'd said it anyway.

Lindsay Monroe-Messer paced the hospital room. She'd seen what the sarin did to Ivan Paluck, she'd see what it did to the bird, and now their friend and colleague lay in a hospital bed. She was praying that this would not have the same outcome. Monroe wanted more than anything to say something to Angell to comfort her, but everything that came to her mind sounded so,... weak. Nothing she could say at this moment come out the way she wanted it to, so she resigned herself to a nearby chair in a silent show of support, while half-wishing she had been the one to go home to Lucy, so Danny could be there.

_'This makes no sense, none at all. They know worried family and friends will sit in these things for hours on end, yet they make them so hard and uncomfortable.'_ Angell sighed heavily as she mentally cursed whoever had thought the hard chairs in the hospital would be a good idea. She had been there for hours. Flack's parents had come and gone for the night, as had his sister Sam. Mac, Stella, Sid, Hawkes, Adam, and even Lieutenant Sythe had all been by to check in, all hoping for some sort of positive news, or at least an improvement in Flack's condition. They all left disappointed, as nothing had changed. Monroe currently sat in the rooms only other uncomfortable chair, her husband having just gone home to their daughter Lucy for the night. Angell was grateful for Monroe's company, knowing she needed someone else there, even if only for a mental distraction from the situation. _'I don't want to be a widow'_, she found herself thinking, then mentally chastised herself for the silly thought, since she and Don were not married.

.  
MEANWHILE...

He saw her in the distance. He watched her turn towards him till their eyes met. Oh how he loved her warm brown eyes, definitely one of her best features. Her wavy brown hair hung down her back and he wanted nothing more than to close the gap so he could run his fingers through it. There was no doubt, his Angell was a beautiful woman.

.  
BACK IN THE HOSPITAL ROOM...

"He always likes our fingers laced together." Angell stated out of the blue as she picked up his hand. She must've noticed the look on Monroe's face because she continued on by explaining, "When we go for walks, or just sit on the couch watching a movie, he always laces our fingers together."

"Danny does that, too." Monroe said, reaching across to place a reassuring touch on the other woman's arm, knowing that sometimes physical gestures expressed more than words ever could.

Angell looked back down at their hands. "It makes my fingers go numb after a while, though." She said with a smirk, and wishing he could return her grip, "His fingers are so much bigger than mine. But I just keep my mouth shut."

"Just another one of those things us wives do, huh?" Monroe said, thinking about all the little details that transpire between spouses on a daily basis. Then it dawned on her that Angell did not carry the title of 'wife' yet. "Oh, I me-"

"His mom used to make him hold his sister's hand." Angell said. She knew she'd cut off her friend's words, but she didn't want any awkwardness to linger or for Lindsay to feel bad. "Ya know, when they'd walk to school." She looked up to see Lindsay nod. "He didn't like to ride the school bus, told his mom he was old enough to walk to school. So, his mom told him that he was also old enough to take his sister with him."

Both women smirked at the idea of young siblings and understood what it was like to be the little sister.

Another moment of silence passed, "They had to cross two streets to get there."

Monroe nodded in understanding at the image of Flack as a kid, walking with his sister to school. She knew she would never allow Lucy to cross a street without holding someone's hand, so she understood.

"He says, that if we don't lace our fingers together like is..." She paused, gesturing to their hands, "...that it feels like he's a kid again."

.  
MEANWHILE...

He was getting closer to her, he was sure. After all, he was walking towards her while she stood there waiting for him, her long brown hair blowing in the gentle breeze. Yet for some reason, the distance between them did not seem to be closing as quickly as he expected. He just kept his focus on her sweet smile as he continued walking. He couldn't wait to reach his Angell.

.  
BACK IN THE HOSPITAL ROOM...

"He's going to be out for quite a while, Mrs. Flack." Doctor Greene said, looking up from the chart in his hands.

"Actually, it's Detective Angell." Angell corrected politely.

"Oh. Um, sorry 'bout that. I just assumed." Dr. Green said, backpedaling to remove his foot from his mouth.

Monroe smirked ever so slightly as she sat in the corner where she was out of the way, but could hear. She was kind of surprised Angell had bothered correcting the doctor. She'd heard her husband on the phone with Flack, teasing him about how much longer he was going to wait to propose. She'd kept quiet, not letting on that she'd overheard the conversation. She wished Flack would hurry up and propose, she was just dying of curiosity to see what kind of ring he'd picked out. Angell's words drew her back to her current location.

"It's okay. Detective Flack is my boyfriend." Angell informed the doctor.

The doctor nodded in understanding, "You might want to go home and get some sleep, since we don't expect any changes for quite a while yet. He will be having some more tests, but not until morning."

.  
EARLY THE NEXT MORNING...

Angell's only goal was to get to the hospital in time for Don's tests, she didn't want any delays. But about half way there she came onto a scene on the edge of the street, she turned on her lights, but not her siren, and got out of her car and began to walk over to see why so many people had gathered near the chain link fence between the apartments. She'd only gone a few strides when she could hear the screaming, and started running.

The crowd parted for her as she called out 'NYPD, coming through'. She first saw the man, wrapping his arms around the screaming woman, that Angell would later learn was his wife. It was quickly evident why she was screaming, as Angell then saw the girl hanging from the play structure. She called dispatch as the apartment manager unlocked the gate for her to enter.

Angell stood back as the paramedics checked on the hysterical mother first. A compassionate neighbor had gestured for them to enter his ground floor apartment. No one wanted the distraught parents to continue looking at their dead daughter. As the mother was now being looked after, although her body still shook uncontrollably, Angell headed back out to the apartment complex's court yard to talk with Sid.

"It was Peter's fault." A voice said when Angell stepped back outside and she turned to see a tall teenage girl with auburn hair. It was obvious the girl had been crying.

"Was she your friend?" Angell asked in a compassionate tone, feeling bad that she had yet to learn of the deceased girl's name.

The teen nodded, "Amber." Was all she said, followed by a sob.

"So, what's your name and who is this Peter guy?" Angell asked with her hand on the teen's shoulder, slowly turning her away from her friend's body.

"I'm Tina. Peter is her boyfriend. Well, at least she though he was." Tina said.

"What happened?" Angell prodded as she began to take notes.

"He cheated on her earlier this year, twice. But they made up. Then he cheated on her again last weekend, with Patty." Tina informed, without looking up from her hands.

"Tina, do you know if Amber has ever threatened suicide before?" Angell asked, and watched as Tina just shook her head. But she could tell there was something there, something she needed to know, something she would have to coax out of the teen. "Are you sure?"

Tina slowly looked up, "Um, well, I do know that when Peter cheated before that she cut herself. But not real bad, and I don't think her parents ever found out."

.  
MEANWHILE...

There she was again. He'd gotten so close to reaching her before, but then somehow he had lost sight of her. He couldn't figure out how that happened, but it didn't matter now, she was there again.

.  
AN HOUR LATER AT THE HOSPITAL...

As Angell rode the elevator up, it stopped at the 2nd floor. A woman got on, talking on her cell phone as she did. "He is just so handsome. Oh, and those blue eyes." She gushed.

After all the thoughts Angell had been having lately, hearing the woman talk about the adorable babies on the maternity floor was not what she wanted to hear.

Both women got off on the 7th floor, then Angell stopped to answer her phone as the other woman put hers away and continued on.

"Detective Angell." She answered. "Yes, Lieutenant, I will be following up on that as soon as I check on Flack... No, sir, it's not a problem. I know, and I appreciate your concern, but I can handle it."

"Hey, Danny." Angell greeted, closing her cell phone as he approached, obviously just having left Flack's room. "How's he doing?"

Messer let out a heavy sigh, "He's, um, stable."

"Stable?" Angell repeated, not liking his tone. "That's it?"

"Doc came and went while I was in there." Messer shrugged before rocking back on his heels, "He says he's still not pleased with Don's heart rate or blood pressure. Both are too high."

"That goes right along with his rapid breathing." Angell said, watching Messer raise a brow, "I might have Googled sarin poisoning." She added with a shrug.

"There's one more thing." Messer stated, earning another concerned look. "A nurse was leaving his room when I arrived. She told me both his heart rate and blood pressure skyrocketed suddenly about an hour ago. They'd just brought him back to his room from having some tests, just before I arrived."

Angell took a deep, shaky breath, but did not speak.

"Well, I gotta go. My shift starts soon. Lindsay will be by on her lunch hour to see how you two are doing." Messer stated.

"Us two? I'm not the one in a hospital bed, Danny." Angell defended.

"True." He said, uncrossing his arms and raising a finger to make a point. "But what effects one of you, effects the other. That's what happens when you love someone."

His words brought a small smile to her face. She was glad someone was looking after them, both of them. "Thanks, Danny."

Messer stepped into the elevator as Angell headed down the hall towards Don's room She wondered if this is how he had felt when she was in the hospital. At least he could go after Simon Cade, his way of getting justice for what had been done to her. She, on the other hand, could only move on to another case, since Kevin Scott was already in jail.

She stopped just outside of Flack's room at hearing a voice from inside. "Come on, Donnie, open up for me. Come on, sweetheart, I've missed those gorgeous blue eyes of yours." Angell had heard enough and pushed the door open.

She immediately cleared her throat in an attempt to get the woman to stop running her hands through Don's raven hair. The woman looked up at her, "Oh, hello." She greeted with a slight accent, possibly recognizing her from the elevator.

The words that were about to come out of Angell's mouth were anything but a polite greeting in return. She took a deep calming breath as she sized up the woman. She was near her size, but at least an inch taller. She had jet black hair with very dark eyes, definitely a mix of ethnic backgrounds; African American, Caucasian, with possibly some Asian as well. She was strikingly beautiful.

Angell took a few steps closer and uncrossed her arms, "Can I help you with something?"

"I just came by to see how Donnie was doing." She stated, the name 'Donnie' making Angell cringe because she knew Don would absolutely hate being called that.

"And you are?"

"Rachel." She answered with a smile and sticking out her hand. "Rachel Layne. You must be one of Donnie's colleagues."

"Yes, I am." Angell answered with a forced smile, while returning Layne's hand shake with a very firm grip.

"How nice." Layne said as she pulled back her hand. "I'm here in New York for a photo shoot and wanted to see Donnie..."

_'Don! No one calls him 'Donnie'! He would hate that!'_ Angell's mind screamed out, but she managed to keep her mouth shut.

"... so I stopped by the precinct, and they told me what happened. I just had to see him." Layne said, reaching down to touch his hair again. "It's been a long time, and I've missed him."

"I'm sure you have." Angell said with a smirk that Layne did not see.

"Do you and Donnie work together? I mean, do you know him well?" She asked without looking up.

"Yes, I know him very well. Not only do we work together, but we're spending more and more time together outside of work since we've gotten engaged." Angell said, well, lied, actually. But it was worth it when she watched Layne's hand suddenly become still.

"Oh, I see." Layne replied as she looked up and withdrew her hand. She hadn't seen that one coming, but then again she hadn't really paid much attention to what this other woman looked like. She was a model after all, and not used to having to compare her looks to those of other women. "I didn't see a ring."

"I'm having it sized." Angell lied, feeling only slightly guilty. Her primary goal was to get this woman to leave, preferably soon.

"Has it gotten to small?" Layne asked politely, but Angell could tell it was really a jab.

Well, two could play at that game. "Yeah. I've never seen my hands so huge." She lied again, holding up her left hand... her normal sized left hand. "But what's a little swelling in the bigger scheme of things. It'll go away after the baby is born." _'Oh damn, that was a big lie. No it wasn't, that was a huge lie. I hope Don never hears about this.'_ she told herself.

"Well, congratulations." Layne said, wondering if her words heard as insincere as she meant them.

"Thank you. We're very excited." Angell all but gushed, wondering if she could fake some sort of maternal glow. _'Well, at least that wasn't a total lie. After all, we would be excited, if it were true.'_ She attempted to justify to herself.

"Well, I should be going now. It was nice to have met you." Layne said, rounding the end of the bed and headed for the door.

_'At least I'm not the only liar in the room.'_ Angell thought to herself as she watched the other woman leave.

.  
MEANWHILE...

What a beautiful smile, Flack thought. He loved Angell's smile and how it just made him want to smile, too. It added such warmth and joy to her face, the kind of joy he needed a regular fix of in his line of work. He was getting closer to her now, and couldn't wait to reach out and take her hand.

.  
AT HOUR LATER, ANGELL AT LUNCH WITH FRIENDS...

"You told her what?" Detective Susan Gerber asked in shock.

"I know, Susan, I know. It was a terrible thing to say." Angell said, looking over the top of her menu, but got only a blank stare in response. "Okay, okay, it was an all out lie. There, I admitted it."

"Well, they say confession is good for the soul." Gerber teased.

"Yeah, tell me about it. I nearly stopped at a church on the way here." Angell admitted, setting her menu aside. "I just hope Don never finds out." She added while rubbing at her temples.

"I've gotta say, Jessica,... jealousy does not look good on you." Detective Kate Panner said. "Was she really that pretty?"

"What difference does it make?" Gerber asked before Angell could answer. "Don is in love with Jessica, and this Rachel lady is the one that cheated on him anyway."

"Yes, she was really that pretty." Angell answered, pointing at Panner first. "And yes, she was the one that cheated on Don." She added, pointing at Gerber to confirm what she had said.

"So is this about a beautiful woman running her fingers through Don's hair as she's being all gushy? Or is this really about this whole 'I may not be able to have a baby' thing?" Panner asked.

"Why do I feel like I'm being interrogated?" Angell asked.

"Because, well, first off, just forget about what's-her-face. And I'll have you know that I was at your precinct last week, and I saw you and Don in the bullpen with the Messer's kid, and you seemed just fine." Panner said.

"Yeah, but that's Lucy. She's a girl." Angell said, as if it should make all the sense in the world to her friends.

Gerber and Panner just looked at each other without saying a word, then looked back at Angell.

Angell let out a heavy sigh, "Okay... when Don and I have talked about having kids - although that was only the one time, I guess - anyway, we talked about having boys."

"Ya realize you've got a 50/50 shot at that one, too. Right?" Panner deadpanned.

"Come on, let's order. I've got another diner to get to." Angell said.

.  
AN HOUR LATER...

_'Just breath. In. Out. In. Out. That's not hard too, just repeat.'_ Angell coached herself from the sidewalk. Her lunch with Susan and Kate had been enjoyable, well, once she got past admitting to her lies anyway. But now? Right now she stood outside Tillary's Diner. The suicide victim from this morning, 16 year old Amber Wise, had killed herself because her boyfriend Peter had cheated on her, again. She needed to talk to Peter, but he was at work right now. And where did he work? Tillary's Diner, of course. _'In. Out. In. Out.'_ Angell coached herself again.

_'How could it look the same?'_ She wondered. The windows and front door had all been replace long ago. _'Probably as soon as the case was closed.'_ She thought to herself as she crossed the street. She touched the gold lettering on the window, 'Same font' she noticed. _'In. Out. In. Out.'_

Her hand shook as she pulled the door open, remembering the sound of the chimes. Looking around, she noticed that everything had been replaced, right back to it's original condition. Even the chalk board on the easel, advertising today's lunch specials. It didn't seem fair. She was not in the same 'original condition', that's for sure. Yes, definitely unfair. _'In. Out. In. Out.'_ she breathed.

_'I just need to find that Peter kid and get out of here.'_

.  
BACK AT THE HOSPITAL...

Everyone was laughing. Sam was having fun telling stories at her brothers expense. Angell knew she wouldn't be doing that if he could defend himself, and although she smirked at Sam's words, after all, it was kind of funny, she found it hard to laugh at his expense. She had kept her mouth closed, contemplating the old saying 'laughter is the best medicine' and knew that everyone in the room, herself included, needed a little stress release from the current situation.

"I think we should get going now, Donald." Mrs. Flack said to her husband. She didn't know if it was Sam's teasing, too many people there at once, or something else, but she could tell things were starting to get on Jessica's nerves.

Within the next hour there was a near complete exodus from Flack's hospital room. His parents and sister left first, followed by Adam and Hawkes, Mr. Angell and Sharri left a little later. Angell's brother Jacob and his wife Jenna arriving and departing right afterward, causing her to wonder if they had ran into their father on the way up.

Soon it was just Angell and Monroe. She was glad she had stayed though. She didn't want to be alone, just, well, not so many people all at once. It had been a very stressful 24 hours, with the sarin poisoning yesterday, then watching Amber Wise's body being taken down from the play structure her little brother played on, and then having to walking into Tillary's Diner for the first time since the shooting.

Angell let out a heavy sigh, "Do you want to be alone?" She heard Monroe ask and shook her head.

"I'm glad you stayed, Lindsay." She answered, looking up at her.

Monroe had heard about the teen suicide case and how Angell had had to go to Tillary's Diner alone to interview someone. She wondered if that was why her friend seemed so distracted right now, or if it was what was going on with Flack. Either way, she would do her best to be supportive.

Angell took Don's hand in hers and laced their fingers together as she and Monroe talked about Lucy and anything else non-case-related they could think of to pass the time as they waited for Dr. Greene to return with the test results.

.  
MEANWHILE...

Finally. He had finally reached her. He wasn't sure why it had taken so long. She had waited right there for him the entire time. But it didn't matter now, he would be together with his Angell. He couldn't wait to hold her, to weave his fingers into her long brown curls, and look into her warm brown eyes. He approached her from behind as she began to turn toward him.

.  
HOSPITAL ROOM...

Both Dr. Greene and Nurse Walker took note of the increased heart rate the monitor was indicating, and Angell could tell they did not like what they were seeing. "But his tests results showed improvement, and his pupils are no longer constructed." Dr. Greene stated as she show his pin light in Flack's eyes.

.  
MEANWHILE...

There was a sudden flash of light that he squinted against, and when it faded he was able to see that she had turned towards him. Her hair was a very light blond. Smooth, straight, and long enough to reach her waist. Her eyes a very pale silvery-blue.

.  
HOSPITAL ROOM...

Dr. Greene - still in close proximity from checking Flack's pupils - all but jumped back when his patent's eyes suddenly opened wide as he simultaneously gasped for air. "Detective Flack? Detective Flack, I'm Dr. Greene. You're in the hospital and you're going to be okay." He said, his eyes remaining on the panicked expression of his patient while his ears were tuned to the indications of the heart monitor. He waited a moment but got no reply. He wasn't too surprised thought, since confusion was another symptom of sarin poisoning. "Detective Flack, can you hear me? I need you tell me what's wrong."

Everyone watched as Flack blinked several times, then finally made eye contact with the doctor that all but stood above him. "I had the wrong angel."

.  
**FAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAF**

.

* Angell wasn't the only one who Googled sarin poisoning, hence all the symptoms I indicated in this chapter for accuracy.

* Angell's case is based off a real story in my local paper. A teenage girl really did commit suicide because her boyfriend cheated on her. She was found hanging from her little brother's play structure in their back yard. No boyfriend is worth that and the whole story just made me sick.

* Panner's 50/50 (boy/girl) comment is based off her previous comment in the previous chapter (still one overy).

* Just one more chapter to go to finish off S6. I'm so excited for the proposal!

* Reviews make my muse very happy, so please leave one before you go.

.


	23. A Family

Sorry for the delay in this chapter. My muse is also a Hawaii Five-0 fan, so I took the time to do a re-write of my Flangell story "2 B Continued", but changed the characters from Angell & boyfriend Flack to Kono & cousin Chin Ho, then completely re-wrote the ending, and titled it "The Boots". The two strong women remind me a lot of each other; feminine when they want to be, kick-ass when they need to be.

My appreciation for all the story alerts/adds, and to blackandblueangel, SerenaBancroft, JessicaFlack for taking the time to leave a review of the previous chapter. You make my muse happy and keep me typing.

This chapter will conclude my re-write of S6, but I'm not finished with Flangell yet. My next story is pre-wedding and tentatively titled "The Wrong Kind". But I have not yet decided if I will add it here to Flangellized or post it separately. I know many of you have a 'Story Alert' on "Flangellized" (which I appreciate very much), but you might want to add an 'Author Alert' so you don't miss out, no matter which way I decide to post. Just a suggestion.

This chapter includes the episode "Vacation Getaway" and is the 1st anniversary of the shooting at Tillary's Diner. Oh yeah, there's something in there about a ring, too.

My appreciation to my beta readers Hannah554 and SerenaBancroft.

My characters for this chapter; Peter Bishop, Judge Louise Hardisty, defense lawyer Richard Taylor, and Zachary Williams.

**CHAPTER 23 ... "A FAMILY"**

6:00AM...

"Aargh!" The response was mostly in Angell's head, her sheer determination and focus keeping it from escaping her lips, as a white hot searing pain ripped through her shoulder. She needed to hold her gun steady, but that was easier said than done as another bullet ripped through her flesh. But she got two more shots off before hitting the ground. 'This can't be happening, not today, I'm supposed to see Don today' she thought to herself as she lay there, her body starting to feel cold. 'What a silly thought' she chastised herself, 'I'll be dead soon and it won't matter what day it is', then she realized she wasn't in any pain. 'That can't be a good thing, it really can't.'

Angell suddenly bolted upright in her bed, breathing hard and grabbing her side in an instant reaction. Today was the first anniversary of the shooting at Tillary's Diner and she already knew it was going to be one hell of a day. The dreams, well, nightmares actually, had been increasing in detail and intensity as the last few weeks had progressed, but none had been that vivid, that real. It really was like being back there that morning, watching herself get shot all over again.

As her breathing slowed and returned to normal she found herself feeling cold, like she had that morning as the blood seeped from her body. She didn't even realize she was rubbing the scar on her shoulder. Yeah, it was going to be one hell of a day.

**MEANWHILE AT FLACK'S APARTMENT...**

Flack swung blindly at the annoying noise coming from the general direction of the night stand. Having not opened his eyes yet, he wasn't sure if he would successfully hit the alarm clock, but it's annoying beeping was not what he wanted to hear right now. Between Shane Casey interrupting his dinner plans with Angell last night, not to mention the mountain of paperwork it created, and the proposal plan he was working on, he'd stayed up later than he should have.

After successfully silencing the nasty alarm clock, he opened his eyes. Looking first at his hand, a habit he'd developed over the last few months, he spun the Claddaugh ring on his pinky finger. He still wore it to bed every night. It made him feel close to her, and lately it had made him think more and more about proposing. He'd wanted to wait until after the anniversary of the shooting because he could tell it was bothering her, a lot. But the more he thought about it the more he was second-guessing that idea and he began to wonder if maybe now would be the perfect time. Maybe it was some sort of reverse psychology, but could it be that if he proposed on that date that it would give her a positive connection to it instead of a negative one to dread year after year? Only one way to find out.

'No, that's no good.' He said to himself as he put the ring box in the pocket of his suit jacket that lay on the bed. 'Too bulky, she might see it too early. Besides, as soon as I pull it out, she'll know what it is.' He took the Claddaugh out of the ring box and slid it into the pocket of the pants. 'No, that's not good, either. Feel like I'm going to lose it that way.' Realizing he was going to have to think on this a bit, he heads for the shower.

Flack stood in front of his dresser several minutes later, a towel still wrapped around his waist. 'Hmm, I need it secure, but nothing bulky.' He though as he looked around his dresser, hoping for an idea. 'What if I did this?' He asked himself, pulling the old necklace out of a box. He slid the ring onto the chain with his St. Michael's pendant. He'd received it from his parents upon his graduation from the police academy. 'The Patron Saint of Law Enforcement. That's kinda fitting.' He thought as he clasped the chain and put it over his head.

Flack was soon dressed for work and spent his few extra minutes picturing himself proposing to Jess. He had everything set up and knew what he wanted to say to her, now he just had to figure out the ring part. He didn't want her to see it too soon. 'Wait a minute. I don't wanna be fussing with a clasp to get the ring off the chain. Knowing me, I'll be all thumbs.' He decided, then headed back into his bedroom and stood once again in front of his dresser. After a moment of looking, he'd come up with a better idea. A different necklace was stripped of it's current decor and the ring put on the flexible woven cord with a simple Lark's Head knot. Flack smiled, he was pleased with this option. 'It will lay flat under my shirt that way. Will be fast and simple to get off. It's perfect.' he decided with a smile, pulling the necklace over his head and tucking it into his shirt, then grabbing his jacket and heading out the door.

Today was going to be a very special day; go interrogate Shane Casey and send him back to prison - preferably maximum security this time, finish up all the paperwork that catching him last night had caused, then spend the rest of the day with his soon-to-be fiance to keep her distracted, then his proposal plans would kick in. Yes, today was going to be a very special day.

Or, maybe not.

**10:00AM, IN A COURT ROOM...**

It had already been a very busy morning for Detective Jessica Angell; starting much earlier than she wished it had given the late night she'd had, then she had kept her promise and met Samantha Flack for breakfast, and now she sat in a court room, or more specifically on the witness stand, listening to the irritating monotone voice of a defense lawyer.

"Your honor, I would like to place into evidence these photographs, still frames taken from the footage of the in-house camera at the restaurant." Defense Lawyer Richard Taylor said in a smug voice to her Honor Louise Hardisty, as he ceremoniously whipped 2 8x10's from a folder on the table in front of where the defendant was seated. Taylor was a tall lanky man with a bad comb-over job and glasses that kept sliding down his nose.

Judge Louise Hardisty attempted not to roll her eyes at the Defense Lawyer's animated gestures. "And what are these photos in regards to, Mr. Taylor, that makes it evidence worthy?"

"Your Honor, these photographs clearly shows Miss. Angell partaking of alcohol the night my client was falsely accused. This brings her judgment into question, not to mention her aim." Taylor said, handing the judge the photographs.

Judge Hardesty was an attractive woman in her fifties with silver streaks in her long black hair that she wore pinned back. Her dark skin was flawless and her warm brown eyes had a deceptively friendly look to them. She was still a judge and didn't take crap from anyone in her court room. She examined the photos that showed Angell and a tall handsome man seated at a small round table for two in the fine restaurant, sipping wine by candlelight. The judge handed the photos back to Taylor with permission, "You may enter them as evidence."

The smug look returned to Taylor's face, "Miss. Ang-"

"Detective Angell." Judge Hardisty interrupted. "You will properly address Detective Angell, Mr. Hardesty. I won't warn you again."

"Of course, your Honor. My apologies." Taylor forced out, before turning again to Angell. "Detective Angell, are you aware of how alcohol can effect one's judgment and ability to react?"

Angell had to keep from rolling her eyes, and wished this two-bit lawyer had any other name than Taylor. At least that was all he had in common with her colleague. "Of course I am, Mr. Taylor." She answered politely and professionally. She would not lower herself to be rude to the man or disrespect the court.

"And are you aware of how much alcohol it takes to impair one's judgment and reaction time?" Taylor asked.

"Yes, I am." She answered simply.

"Really?" Taylor asked as he faced the Judge, then spinning on his heels to look at her again. "Because according to the American Medical Association it only takes a woman of your size; oh, let's say 5'5" and 120lbs, about 8 ounces of alcohol to be effected. And clearly you consumed more than that."

"You are correct. I did consume more than that." Angell stated. "But for the record I am 5'7" and 135lbs." She added. She didn't care that he was low balling the numbers to make it look better for his case or flatter her. Maybe he even thought she was one of those women who wouldn't want to admit to weighing more. She was a solid 135 from hitting the gym and packing on the muscle, and it didn't matter to her what she weighed.

"Alright, Detective." Taylor agreed. "The photographs clearly show you consuming two large classes of wine, as evidenced by the time stamps. And even at the numbers you just gave us, you still consumed enough alcohol to impair your judgment and reaction time, as evidence by your stumbling from your table, practically tripping over your equally clumsy date, and missing with your shot." Taylor pulled out his chair, apparently to sit, as he spoke, "No further questions, your Honor."

"You may return to your seat, Detective Angell." Judge Hardesty said.

"Your Honor." Angell said, returning the judge's attention to her, "You had me swear on a Bible to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."

"Are you saying you haven't, Detective Angell?" Judge Hardesty asked.

"I have told the truth, and nothing but the truth. So I'm two for three. I would like the opportunity to tell the court the 'whole truth' part, your Honor." Angell said.

"I see." Judge Hardesty said, setting her pen back down. "What else would you need to add that would complete your oath, Detective?"

"Your Honor." Taylor said, jumping up from his seat. "This is highly irregular! I must ask-"

"Sit down, council." Judge Hardesty ordered. "This is my court room, and the truth will be told. All of it."

Taylor slowly slid back down in his chair, an expression of irritation on his face.

"Continue, Detective." Judge Hardesty ordered.

"Yes, Ma'am. First off, my date was Detective Don Flack, Jr. of the NYPD's 12th precinct. He sends his apologies for not being here today, but he is currently heading up the Shane Casey investigation. Anyway, at the restaurant, I heard the gun before I saw it. That unmistakable sound every cop knows; a gun being cocked. In searching for the location of that sound, I saw that the defendant was holding a gun under the table he was sitting at. He had it aimed it at his wife, whom he had been arguing with. I quietly said, "gun" to Detective Flack and indicated it's location in the room. He then saw it, too. Only a moment later the defendant raised the gun above the table and again aimed it at his wife." Angell gave only a brief pause before continuing, "Second, my 'equally clumsy date' and I were not 'tripping over' anything, but rather, pushing an innocent waiter out of harm's way." She paused again, "And finally, I can assure you, my reaction time was not off by even a second and I did not miss. In fact, the bullet the bullet from my gun entered exactly where I aimed it to."

"You aimed at the defendants... um, backside?" Judge hardesty asked, her smirk well hidden.

"Yes, your Honor. I shot him in the butt. Intentionally. He had stood and turned, clearly intending to flee the scene, the restaurant was full of patrons and I didn't want anyone hurt, but I certainly wasn't going to shoot him in the back. I just needed to take him down. So, yes, I shot him in the butt." Angell stated, very matter-of-factly.

Judge Hardesty simply nodded. "Is there anything else you have to say, Detective?"

"Just one more thing, Ma'am." Angell said as she took out her phone and Binged an image. "This." She added, handing her phone over.

Judge Hardesty looked at the image on Angell's cell screen. "I see."

"Detective Flack and I were both finished with our shifts, but I was still on-call until midnight. So he had arranged for a nice glass of non-alcoholic carbonated Black Cherry cider to go with our dinner." Angell said, remembering the smooth taste...

~FLASHBACK~  
_"You remember our first date here?" Flack asked as they were seated at the little table for two in the Italian restaurant._

_Angell smiled immediately at the memory. "Of course. You wore a nice black suit with a burgundy tie."_

_"I like to think of it as wine colored, since it matched the pumps you wore." He said. He'd always had a thing for noticing her shoes, and to this day those were still his favorites. He saw her smile again and wondered if she wasn't blushing a little, too. "We were both on-call that night, so wine with dinner wasn't an option."_

_"I remember that, too. But you came up with a nice alternative." Angell said, remembering the smooth taste of the sparkling black cherry cider. She had been prepared to drink it, just because of his thoughtfulness, not expecting to really like it. But it had surprised her how much it really did taste like red wine._

_"I'm glad you liked it." He said, as the waiter set the two wine glasses in front of them. "Because you're on-call again."_

_Angell picked up the glass and gave it a tilt, slightly swirling the dark red liquid in it. "You remembered."_  
~END OF FLASHBACK~

"I've gotta remember that brand." Judge Hardesty said referring to the image of the bottle on Angell's phone, then handed it back to her. "It sounds good."

"As you can see, your Honor, neither my judgment nor my reaction time were impaired by any alcohol consumption." Angell said as she pocketed her phone.

"Anything else you need to add, Detective?" Judge hardesty asked.

"No, your Honor." Angell answered.

"In that case. The defendant is denied bail and hereby held over for trial." Judge Hardesty announced to the court room with a bang of her gavel.

Angell exited the court room with a heavy sigh. She knew she should have a smile on her face, or at least be very pleased, after all, the defendant was going to be held over for trial without bail and would not be able to scare his estranged wife again. But today was also the first anniversary of that horrible day at Tillary's, a day she was lucky to have survived. A day that left her scared inside as much as out.

One thing she was at least pleased about was the effort her boyfriend had made to keep her busy. 'Effort' being the key word here. It had started last night, their dinner plans ruined by a sighting of Shane Casey. Instead of sharing a creme brulee via candlelight, they chased Casey down an alley. Yeah, that was a fun way to top off a nice romantic evening. "This guy's insane!" She'd heard Officer Nicholas Henderson say, but was pretty sure he could have been referring to Don as she watched him take a three story free fall on a window washing ledge to take Casey down. Of course Psycho-Casey had found a psycho way of escaping, so that meant Don in charge of finding him. Oh well, she'd be helping him, so at least they'd be spending time together which should help take her mind off Tillary's. She hoped.

**MEANWHILE, AT THE 12TH PRECINCT...**

Flack followed Mac out of the interrogation room, both men letting out heavy sighs of frustration over Officer Henderson. Had Henderson been more forthcoming of the true events of his spotting of Shane Casey the previous night this little interrogation would not have been necessary.

"We need to get to the Old Cash Bar." Mac stated.

"You and Stella go ahead. Angell should be done in court by now, so I'll swing by and pick her up and we'll meet you there." Flack said, before the two men went their separate ways and he headed back into the bullpen.

Flack shoved a few files into his desk drawer as he spoke on the phone, "Glad to hear it, Jess." He paused to look down at his watch, "Listen, I'll be out the door in just a few. Can you be waiting out front?" He paused again, but only because he had that strange feeling of someone staring at him. "Yeah. Okay. Love you, too. Bye." He said as he turned to look at the woman staring at him. "Hello, Rachel."

"Hello, Donnie." She purred as she stepped closer, but got no verbal reply. "So, was that Detective Angell you were talking to?"

"What brings you here, Rachel?" He asked, wanting to get to the point and get out of there.

"She's a pretty girl." Rachel commented on Angell.

Flack knew Rachel had a jealousy streak a mile wide, especially when it came to physical appearances, and considered this before speaking. "Yes, Jess is a very beautiful woman. So, what brings you here?" He repeated, a cool tone to his voice.

"I was in town a while back, but when I stopped by here to see you, they told me you had been injured. I went to the hospital to see you, but, well, it's just not the same when you can't look back at me." She said, taking another step closer into his personal space. "I've finished my photo shoot, so I decided to stop by again, hoping to be seen by those baby blues of yours this time."

Flack knew her game. She hadn't changed one bit. "Well, it was nice of you to be so concerned about my health, but I'm back on duty and right now I've got a psycho killer to hunt down and arrest. So if you'll excu-"

"So, when's the wedding date?" She interrupted as if he wasn't trying to leave, sure that if he was not interested in her that just maybe that Detective lady was telling the truth. But if not, she was going to find out.

'Why was she asking about the wedding date?' He wondered to himself, casually touching the ring through the fabric of his shirt to make sure it wasn't showing. It wasn't. "October." Was his answer as he turned and walked away, leaving a surprised Rachel just standing there. He wasn't sure how she knew he was going to propose to Jess, and he decided that he just didn't care.

**THAT EVENING, JUST AFTER SUNDOWN...**

From visiting the Old Cash Bar, to finding Ethan Ganz hanging in the park, to feeling like they were violating the Messer's apartment, to riding in Coast Guard chopper 623 in a mad rush to Amagansett Point in Long Island, it had truly turned out to be a crazy day from hell. She wasn't even sure she was all that surprised to find herself now racing up the steep, narrow steps of the lighthouse, right behind Don in a race to save Danny.

Don held up a closed hand, signaling to stop and for silence. They could hear Messer and Casey arguing. "It felt sexy!" they heard Casey shout. Who the hell thinks killing someone feels sexy? Sick psycho, indeed. "Do it, you sick son of a bitch!" they heard Messer yell back. Well, he got that last part right. Then suddenly the place lit up with near-blinding light, followed by the sound of glass shattering. She and Don took the last few steps as fast as they could, reaching the platform in time to realize Casey had fallen. They didn't care though as they both reached for Messer to secure him, all that mattered in that moment was that their friend and colleague didn't fall too, and Angell was happy to be able to give him a reassuring hug as they brought him safely back inside the lighthouse.

As they took the last few steps they could already hear Lucy's cries, and noticed Messer pick up his pace. They stopped to stand with Stella as they all watched the family embrace before silently departing. Words were certainly not needed at this moment. They were safe and they were together, and nothing else mattered.

Angell and Flack followed behind Mac and Stella as they made their way back to the C.G. chopper. It was over. It was time to go home.

Angell sat in the back of the chopper next to Stella, their men in the seats in front of them. Despite the headphones she wore, the chatter she heard had became background noise as she stared at the stary sky outside her window, her mind continually repeating her earlier thoughts; 'They were safe and they were together, and nothing else mattered.' Perhaps, on this first anniversary of the shooting at Tillary's, that was all she could ask for her and Don as well.

**TWO HOURS LATER...**

Angell had assumed they would call it an evening after the crazy events of the day from hell, but now she found herself being led by Don out of the precinct and down the steps. "Where are we going again?" She asked him, again. Wherever it was, it was within walking distance, as they were clearly not headed for either one of their cars.

Flack took her hand as they took to the sidewalk, lacing their fingers together, "Nice try, Jess." He said, looking over at her with a mischievous smile.

Her ploy hadn't worked, because he had never told her where they were going in the first place, that part was a surprise, and he obviously wasn't giving in. 'Oh well,' she thought to herself, 'he probably still wants to keep me distracted'. His efforts to do so were hardly well hidden, and she appreciated him for it.

"I heard you had a visitor today." Angell said, resigning herself to another topic. The beautiful woman that came to see him in the precinct earlier was quite the water cooler buzz for the day. She noticed him shrug with a slight 'Hmff' sound, and she wasn't sure if he didn't care or didn't want to talk about it. "She's quite beautiful." She added, remembering her from the hospital. Anyone with eyes could clearly see she was a model for a reason.

"Not nearly as beautiful as you are." Flack replied, turning to her with a warm smile as they continued walking. He'd received several comments from colleagues already about Rachel's visit, mostly on her beauty. But he didn't see her that way. Sure she had what it took to be a successful model, but that was all on the outside. But when he saw her, he saw someone who was unfaithful and couldn't be trusted, someone who was insecure and needed constant reassurances from others. She was nothing like his Jess; his Jess was beautiful inside and out both, his Jess was honest and trustworthy; his Jess was the love of his life; and his Jess was about to get proposed to... he just hoped that no one in the precinct had heard that part and said anything to her about it.

She noticed that he hadn't denied Rachel's beauty, who would. But she also remembered what that woman had done to betray him, to cause him pain. She simply could not understand doing that to someone you loved.

"Here we are." He said, pulling her from her thoughts and gesturing to the steps to the apartment complex.

"Here?" Angell asked in surprise at their destination as they took the steps.

"Yeah, here." He answered as he opened the door to the lobby. "There's someone I want to introduce you to."

"You know someone who lives... here?" She asked. Still surprised at where they were.

"No, Jess." He said, as they entered the elevator. "I'm going to pick a random floor." He said sarcastically as he swirled his index finger around in front of the numbered panel before pushing the button for the 10th floor and turned to her again, "And when we get off, I'm going to pick a random apartment door to knock on and introduce you to whoever happens to answer." He added, also in an obviously sarcastic tone as the elevator doors slid closed in front of them.

She have him a joking punch to the arm because she just couldn't come up with a witty comeback to his smart ass remarks.

The elevator dinged and they got off on the 10th floor, then headed left to the end of the corridor. "Serious, Don, where are we going?" She asked with a slight laugh to her voice.

"I told you, Jess," He said, as he stopped them in front of apartment #1018, "There's someone I want to introduce you to." He knocked lightly before slowly opened the door.

Angell thought it strange that he seemed to be going on in without waiting for someone to come and answer the door for them. She felt his hand take hers again as they walked into an entrance hall lined with cabinets, which she assumed were for coats and such. This entrance hall alone has more storage space than her entire apartment does.

He lead her down the hall, which took a sharp right at the end, then down just two steps into a huge living space. She noted the light fixture hanging from the ceiling at the nearest end of the room, so she assumed it was meant for a dining space. It would be easier to tell for sure if there were actually a dining table there. The center of the room was where she could picture a couch and chairs for seating. She assumed that, not because there was a couch or chairs there, or any other furniture for that matter, but because of the fire place centered on the long wall. The far end of the room she imagined as more of a cozy reading area, not that there were any books there, but the far wall was full of built in bookcases.

A dining area, a sitting & tv area, a reading area... and a man. One man standing in the middle of the huge room.

"Jess, I'd like you to meet Zachary Williams." Flack said. Zachary Williams is a tall man, not quite as tall as Flack, but close to it. He had dark brown hair, a gottee, and wore glasses. He had a college professor look to him, she thought and guessed he was near sixty.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Williams." Angell greeted politely with a hand shake.

"It's nice to meet you, too, Detective Angell." He greeted in return, shaking her hand, "And, please, call me Zach."

"Alright, Zach." Angell agreed, still not sure what they were doing there.

"Come on, I'll show you around." Williams said as he headed into the kitchen, which was separated from the living room by a large cooking island.

After pointing out the features of the huge kitchen, including a separate laundry room at one end, and a walk-in pantry at the other, he led them down the hallway and into first one bedroom and bath, then another bedroom and bath. "Pretty nice, huh?" He asked.

"Oh, yes. It's very nice." Angell agreed, wondering where his wife and family were. Surely a single man wouldn't have bought an apartment this size for just himself, and she did see a wedding ring on his hand. Of course he was old enough that his kids were probably grown and gone. Although, the bedrooms were more of a two master suite set-up, so maybe they were planning on having a lot of guests. Who knew.

"So, is everything ready, Zach?" Flack asked the older man.

"It is." Williams confirmed with a slight nod. "I'll look forward to hearing from you soon. It was nice meeting you, Detective Angell." He added with another hand shake before walking out of the room.

Angell just stood there confused as she and her boyfriend watched as Williams walked out. They could just barely hear his footfalls across the living room's hard wood floors and on the steps, then the tell tale sound of the front door closing to confirm his departure. Leaving the two of them stood there alone in the middle of the last room they had been given a tour of.

"Don." Was all Angell said. He'd know what she meant.

"Jess." He responded simply. Yes, he knew what she meant.

"Fine." She said before clearing her throat. Fair enough, she'd play his little game. "So, I take it Zachary Williams was who you were so insistent I meet."

Flack nodded in confirmation. "Nice guy, huh." He wasn't ready to give anything away, not just yet.

"Um, well, not that I got much more than get an introduction. But yes, I suppose he did seem like a nice man." She added, not sure how long this game was going to go on.

"So, what do you think?" He asked, gesturing to the room.

"What do I think?" She paused, looking at him, "I think it's gorgeous. What else is there to think? This is the master bedroom right? Ya know, I'm pretty sure my whole apartment would fit into this one room." She rambled, still not quite sure why there were there. The apartment was beautiful, there was no denying that.

"Yes, Detective, I believe it is the master. Actually, it's similar to a two master set-up. Although the other bedroom is slightly smaller, and this one connects to the wrap-around balcony." He said, watching her look around the space as she checked out the window seat. "Now, I know most women go ga-ga over bathrooms, but I've gotta admit that I love this one." He said, going from one room to the next.

Angell followed, first peeking her head around the corner before entering to see him checking out the double vanity set-up. The look on his face told her he wanted to turn the faucets all on, just to see if they worked. She wasn't sure why they would work yet, since the Williams family obviously hadn't moved in yet. "Uh, Don." She said to get his attention, "Shouldn't we be going now?"

"I thought you liked the place." He stated, as if surprised, but still just playing along for now.

"I do." She said, then paused, "It's just that, well, it's kind of weird wondering around someone else's home like this."

"Ah, I see." He said, walking over to her, which seemed to settle her a bit. "Come here." He took her hand and gestured for her to follow him. She did, and they were then back out in what would be the living room.

Flack took a deep breath. This was the moment he'd been waiting for. Well, at least the beginning of the moment he'd been waiting for. "This isn't 'someone else's home', Jess." He clarified.

"It isn't?" She asked in confusion. Normally she could come up with some sort of witty comeback, but she just wasn't sure of what to say at the moment as something seemed to be really, well, off, at the moment.

"I bought it." He admitted.

"You... you... bought it?" She stumbled out with wide eyes.

"Yeah." He confirmed with a nod. Then he took her by the shoulders and turned her to face the kitchen, "Now, all I need is for you to tell me which you prefer. This kitchen comes with the natural wood cabinets, or maybe they're just a very light stain, whatever. But the apartment across the hall, that is otherwise identical to this one, comes with dark coffee colored cabinets, 'espresso' I think they're called. Then there's the one upstairs that comes with white cabinets, although, that's the three bedroom version, but it doesn't come with the wrap-around balcany like this one does." He explained, as he turned her around again. Sure enough, there were French doors on either side of the fire place that went out onto a balcony, and from the looks of it, it went to the left where she assumed it connected to the French doors if the master bedroom they'd just been in. Corner units definitely had their advantages.

"You bought it." She repeated, still in surprise. They had toured these apartments a while back when there had been an open house, but there was no way she could afford one of them, not even the smallest one in the building. In fact, she didn't know how any cop could afford one of them.

"All you have to do, Jess, is decide if you are happy with this one, or if you want one of the others. The one across the hall is also ready to move into, but the one upstairs is still being built. But that's okay, because if you want that one, you can choose all your own paint colors and stuff." He rambled. He was just a bit nervous. Yeah, just a bit. He wondered if she could tell.

"Me?" She asked in surprise. "Why do I have to decide if it's your apartment?" She was flattered that he would want her input, but these places were big bucks and he'd better like every tiny detail in there for that kind of money.

Flack took a deep breath and opened his mouth to say some very important words, but he was cut off.

"Wait." She said, holding up a hand, "I have another question. I mean, I have another question, ya know, first, before you answer that question." She paused, to make sure her words came out tactful, "How on earth, unless you are making about five times as much as I am, did you manage to afford an to buy an apartment in this building?" Okay, so it didn't exactly come out as tactful as she had wanted. "I mean, Don, I remember touring this place at the open house. I remember all the perks; being so close to the precinct, -"

"Jess." He said.

"... green construction and energy efficiency, -"

"Jess."

... private parking spaces, and-"

"Je-"

She held up a finger, indicating to let her finish, "and I also remember the huge price tag that no one in the NYPD could afford."

She had paused and was looking at him expectantly, so he took that as an okay to go ahead and speak now. "You're right. No one in the NYPD could afford it."

"Ah, you've been holding out on me. You've won the lottery and didn't tell me." She teased.

He gave a light laugh at her teasing before speaking, "Actually, they lowered the prices."

"They did?" She said in surprise.

"Mhmm." He mumbled with a nod, "It was the open house we attended that made them realize the people they had in mind when they built this place were the ones who couldn't afford to live here. So, they lowered the prices. A lot."

"Oh." She said, with an arched brow. "So you didn't win the lottery, huh?"

He answered via a slight shake of his head. "I did however, have some money my parents had set aside for me that I'd never touched."

"Oh?" She said, her brow arching up again, "Do tell."

"Well, when Sam and I were little, our family lived in an apartment." He began, and she could almost see the wheels of memory turning in his mind, "The complex was sort of U-shaped, with a play area in the center. There was construction going on behind the complex and they had guard dogs, so there was a chain link fence all around it." He paused, and she wasn't sure what the expression on his face meant, "Since our apartment was on the ground floor, that meant our patio door opened up to the play area, and mom would have me take Sam out there after her nap because she liked the swing sets. We'd usually stay out there and play with other kids until dinner was ready or Dad got home, whichever came first. One day Sam and I had just gone out there, but there weren't any other kids yet and all the construction workers were leaving, so I was up on top of the play structure watching a delivery truck unload lumber. Anyway, a few pushes on the swing and a few trips down the slide later, we hear the dogs barking, really loud. I looked up, and realized all three of them were coming over the fence. Typical guard dogs, Dobermans I think they were. They were coming at us fast and Sam was screaming by then."

He paused at hearing her gasp. "Oh, Don, that must've been terrible." She said at the thought of two little kids being so scared.

"Being a tall kid never came in so handy, because I got down on my knees and told Sam to get on my shoulders, then I was able to hoist her up to where she could reach the bar above the swings. She had to hold on until I could climb up the chains and get up on the bar myself, so I could finish pulling her the rest of the way up onto the top of the structure."

"So, how, who-?" She was at a bit of a loss for words at the moment.

"You ever met a cop, or a cop's wife, who didn't carry pepper spray? Nah, me either." He both asked and answered, "My mom was out there with her broom and her pepper spray, screaming her head off until every neighbor in the building was out there to help." He paused, "Mom blamed every grey hair she had on those dogs for years." He added with a smirk.

"Yeah. Yeah, she would do that." Angell agreed at his teasing words and glad he was able to think back at the event so calmly.

"Well, anyway, turned out the lumber delivery was placed near the fence where the dogs could climb up onto it and reach the top of the fence. The foreman hadn't notice, because everyone was trying to leave right when the delivery was arriving. He felt bad, the construction company's owner felt bad, so they offered a settlement to our family. Mom and Dad used some of the money for a down payment on the house in Queens, so we could move. Mom just couldn't stay there any more, not without being scared, anyway. The rest of the money was split between me and Sam. Dad put it into trust accounts and such until we were old enough. I think Sam spent most of hers on college courses she never finished and probably wasted the rest. Me, aside from buying my first car, I never touched it."

"You had all that money and never touched it." She repeated in surprise.

"Nope." He confirmed with a slight shake of his head, "I figured one day, there would be something special I'd need it for."

"And you finally found something special." She said with a smile.

"No." He countered, "I found some-one special. Jess-" He paused again and cupped her face, "I bought this apartment for you."

Angell's mouth kept opening and closing, but no words were coming out. Of course the fact that she now had her hand over her mouth probably didn't help. She tried to slow her breathing and get her thoughts to focus. "Why?" She eventually managed to say. Flack laughed slightly and she hoped that her response hadn't come out as unappreciative or, well, anything other than shock, really. "I mean, uh... wow, Don." She managed to say as he slipped his arms around her waist. "Don, it's beautiful. And obviously you remember how much I wanted an apartment in this place, but this is huge and not all the birthday gifts, all the Christmas presents, all the Valentine's Day gifts, and all the Groundhog's Days for decades to come.. all rolled into one... oh my gosh, Don. It just wouldn't equal something like this."

"Groundhog's Day, huh?" He teased with a warm smile, leaning his forehead down onto hers and locking eyes with her. "That's cute, Jess. But I was actually think more along the lines of ... early wedding present."

Angell froze. She was pretty sure her heart had just skipped a beat. Well, maybe several beats. She leaned back slightly to look up at him. "Early," She began, but no more words came out.

Despite the fact that Flack's heart was beating so fast he could hear his own pulse in his ears, he managed to nod and hold up a finger to both shush her and as if to say, 'just a minute'. He released his hold on her, hoping his nervousness wasn't showing through sweaty hands, and took his cell phone out of his pocket as he walked over to the fire place. She heard the sound of music playing as he set his phone on the mantle, then took a few steps back towards her as he held out his hand, asking her to dance with him. The music played as they held each other close...

_"Marry Me" by Train_

_Forever can never be long enough for me_  
_To feel like I've had long enough with you_  
_Forget the world now we won't let them see_  
_But there's one thing left to do_

_Now that the weight has lifted_  
_Love has surely shifted my way_  
_Marry Me_  
_Today and every day_  
_Marry Me_  
_If I ever get the nerve to say "Hello" in this cafe_  
_Say you will_  
_Mm-hmm_  
_Say you will_  
_Mm-hmm_

_Together can never be close enough for me_  
_Feel like I am close enough to you_  
_You wear white and I'll wear out the words I love you_  
_And you're beautiful_  
_Now that the wait is over_  
_And love and has finally shown her my way_  
_Marry me_  
_Today and every day_  
_Marry me_  
_If I ever get the nerve to say "Hello" in this cafe_  
_Say you will_  
_Mm-hmm_  
_Say you will_  
_Mm-hmm_

_Promise me_  
_You'll always be_  
_Happy by my side_  
_I promise to_  
_Sing to you_  
_When all the music dies_

_And marry me_  
_Today and everyday_  
_Marry me_  
_If I ever get the nerve to say "Hello" in this cafe_  
_Say you will_  
_Mm-hmm_  
_Say you will_  
_Marry me_  
_Mm-hmm_

As the music played, Flack took the opportunity to slow his breathing, to calm himself and focus. He was only doing this once in his life, and he wanted it to be perfect. So he let himself be drawn in to the feel of her slender frame in his arms, to her hair that was brushing against his neck, and to her fingers that were laced together with his. He wondered if she had picked up on the lyrics about the 'cafe', if it would even register with her. It was a small detail, but it added to the meaning, or at least it did for him. He wanted this to be, from here on, a happy day to remember.

As the music played, Angell took the opportunity to slow her breathing, to calm herself and focus. She had been anticipating this event for a long time now and yet she was still surprised it was finally happening. She let herself lean into him, the feel of his strong arm wrapped around her waist, one hand on her back, the other laced with hers, and his rhythmatic warm breath on her neck almost in time to their movements. She tried to focus on the music, she'd have to wait until the next chorus to be sure, but she thought there was something in there about a cafe. Wouldn't that be ironic, given the date. But then again, she would probably never think of Tillary's again. Or at least she hoped she wouldn't, now that today had a new meaning.

He took a small step back as the music faded, pulling the necklace out from under his shirt and over his head. He slipped the ring off it's cord, the Lark's Head knot releasing the object easily, before getting down on one knee in front of her. He took her left hand in his and could feel it shaking. Or maybe it was his hand that was shaking, he wasn't quite sure. "Jess, I love you more than anything. Will you marry me?"

Her right hand instinctively went over her mouth as she gasped at finally hearing those words. Knowing that question was coming didn't stop her heart from beating so fast she could barely speak, and at first she could only nod, before managing to say, "Oh yes, Don, I will marry you."

Just before he slipped the ring onto her finger, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. It was such a sweet and precious moment, a moment she wanted to feel. In all the closeness they had experienced, in all the times they had come so close to making love to each other, nothing felt more intimate than the feel of him sliding that ring on her finger.

Flack made sure to place the Claddaugh ring on in the correct direction - the bottom point of the heart turned towards her wrist - before sliding it onto her finger. He then stood, wrapping his arms around her and taking her up off her feet in the process, and began kissed her.

With her arms wrapped tight around his neck, Angell returned the kiss, conveying as much of her love for him as she could in that moment... a moment that eventually yielded to the need for oxygen. Although their lips parted to gain access to air, their arms continued to hold each other tight as they began exchanging softly spoken confessions of their love for each other, and soon they were dancing again even though there was no music this time, holding each other close seemed to be the only thing that mattered.

"How long have you had all this planned?" Angell finally asked in a quiet voice, not lifting her head from his shoulder.

"Seems like a long time." He answered quietly. "I've had the ring for months now, just waiting for the right time to ask you." He paused when she lifted her head to make eye contact with an 'are you serious' look on her face, "Yeah, I know, today of all days, right." He saw her slight nod in understanding, "I almost lost you that day, Jess. I've been thinking about that so much lately, and suddenly 'till death do us part' meant something entirely different to me." He paused to cup her face, "I was going to wait until after today had passed, but then I decided that maybe today needed a new meaning. For both of us." He tried to explain, finding it difficult to convey everything he wanted with words.

"And now it does." She said with a slight smile and still holding his gaze. She'd hoped for something more memorable sounding in the vocabulary department, but those were the words that came at the moment. He must have sensed what she meant, regardless, as he was now kissing her again. "Now all we have to do is pick a date." She said in a soft and dreamy tone when their lips parted and they'd made eye contact again.

"October." He stated without hesitation. "Now all you have to do is pick your cabinets." He said without skipping a beat, and since that needed to be done right away so he could tell Zach which apartment they wanted.

"That's all, huh?" She teased, laying her head back onto his shoulder. He made it sound so easy, like they were ordering from a dinner menu. 'Must be a guy thing.' She thought to herself.

"Yep. That's all." He assured her. "I'll break it down for you; light stained cabinets, dark 'espresso' stained cabinets, or white painted cabinets?" He asked, then paused, "No wait, I'll ask 'two bedrooms or three' first, because that will -"

Angell didn't hear the rest of what he had to say, as her mind was suddenly in a flashback to almost a year ago.

"- narrow it down further." Flack finished and waited for an answer, but wasn't really surprised at not hearing one, as he had sensed the sudden tenseness in her body only a moment ago. "Jess?" He added softly when he saw the blank stare in her eyes. "Jess?" He repeated when she still didn't answer.

She gave a sudden and heavy sigh as she shook the thoughts from her mind, but he could see that she was still anything but relaxed at the moment. She took a deep breath before speaking, "Come with me." She said, then lead him into the master bedroom. She sat in the window seat and without letting go of his hand gestured for him to sit as well. "I need to tell you something."

'There was that sound again', Flack thought. That loud swishing of his pulse in his own hears. His heart was beating fast, not out of fear or adrenaline, but out of concern for the woman he loved who was obviously greatly troubled by something at the moment. He sat next to her in the window seat and took a moment to glance at the great view they would have out of their bedroom, or what he hoped would be their bedroom. He hadn't come right out and said it, as he wanted the final decision to be her's, but he really did hope she picked this apartment over the others. But more than anything he wanted her to be happy, so whichever one she chose would be okay with him. At looking back into her beautiful brown eyes, even with only the moonlight from the window, he could see they held a look he was unfamiliar with. He still didn't speak, just waited, even as she broke their gaze and looked down at his hand she had began nervously toying with. He raised his other hand to rest on her shoulder and caress her hair until she was ready to talk.

She was soon rubbing her thumb across his palm, still clearly nervous, but the rhythm of her actions seemed calming. "You already know what happened 365 days ago." She began, still looking down at his hand despite the almost dark room, "But what I need to tell you happened 362 days ago. When I woke up."

She looked up at him as she spoke those last words, a look of what he could only think of as 'resolve' now in her eyes. He still didn't speak, but gave her a gentle smile as he continued caressing her hair. He knew she would continue when she was ready.

It didn't take long and her thumb continued it's random paths across his palm as she spoke, "When I woke up, after the shooting, when the doctor came and talked to me for the first time, about my injuries -" She began, recounting it for him, telling him something she wished she had told him a long time ago.

"Dr. Rawles was really worried about you." Flack said after she had finished recounting via her version. He had sat by her bed, refusing to leave, and was pretty sure he had remembered a few details she had forgotten, or maybe she never knew. "She was really worried about how you were going to take it."

Angell just looked at him for a moment, "You knew." She breathed out as the realization hit her, then saw him nod. "But how?"

He gave a slight shrug and sigh at having to think back, "Well, Dr. Rawles had asked me a lot about you by then. About your personality and what you were like as a cop. I was always under the impression that she was trying to assess how you would take the news about our injuries, about how she would tell you when you woke up. She didn't come right out and tell me any specifics, patient confidentiality and all, but I ... uh... I might have see a chart that one of the nurses left behind when she had to rush out for an emergency." He explained.

Angell didn't know what to say. At his previous question about two bedrooms or three, it had immediately lead her mind to ponder what a couple would want three bedrooms for; kids. Then the flashback began. Then she knew it was time to tell him.

"Why didn't you say anything?" She asked.

He brushed a stray loc of hair off her face and tucked it behind her ear as he spoke softly, "I know you'd tell me when you were ready."

"And it... it, doesn't bother you?" She asked, needing to know where he stood on the matter.

"Of course it bothers me." He answered honestly. "It bothers me that you were hurt. It bothers me that something was taken away from you. It bothers me that it bothers you." He paused, sliding his hand from her shoulder to the back of her neck, "I love you, Jess, and nothing will ever change that." He said before kissing her, then resting their foreheads together.

"We've talked about kids, Don. How could you even talk about kids, knowing I can't-"

"First off, Jess," He said, cutting her off, "First off, the doctor never said you can't have a baby. She said you lost an ovary, and last I knew, women had two of them." He said in a teasing manner to lighten the mood a bit.

She have a slight nod as she looked down and began to play with his hand again. He could tell she was still sad about it all.

"Jess." He began, lifting her chin so their eyes met again, "I want you to know one thing... we are going to be a family, you and me. As far as I'm concerned, as soon as we say 'I do', that makes us a family. Because a family of two is still a family. And maybe our family size will grown some day, either by us having a baby ourselves or by adopting, or maybe it won't, but no matter what, you and I are going to be a family." He said, driving the point home with her and making sure she understood where he stood on the matter.

With her mind finally at ease, Angell let him pull her into his lap and rested her head on his shoulder as they sat there for a long time.

"Oh my God!" She suddenly exclaimed, raising her head.

"What?"

"Oh my God, it's beautiful!" She said, holding her hand up further.

Flack suppressed a laugh, "You're just now noticing?" He question.

"Well, um, yeah." She admitted. "I had my eyes closed when you put it on, then we were dancing again, then we were kissing again, then we came in here, so, yeah, I just now saw it in the moonlight."

"It was my Grandmother's." He informed her, then paused "I had tried shopping..." He began, going on to tell her the story of how he ended up with the ring and her options of keeping it or picking out something herself.

Angell was quite taken aback at his recounting of the ring, especially the way he tricked her father into shopping with him. It was all so much more than she ever expected and she loved him dearly for it all.

"I would be honored to wear your Grandmother's Claddaugh ring, Don. It's more special than any ring in any jewelry story. Besides, it looks like something I would pick out for myself." She said, laying her head back on his shoulder.

"I've been wearing it at night." She was surprised at this revelation but didn't move. "Slipped it on my pinky finger. It made me feel close to you." He admitted. "But I still have the wedding band that goes with it for now."

"Don't worry, we'll get you a pinky ring to replace it, so you can sleep." She teased.

"Won't need it." He declared. "I'll have you to sleep next to me then." He added with a wink, which made her blush slightly, but brought a smile to both of their faces.

They'd sat there in the window seat, just holding each other and enjoying the view for quite a while. "I want this one." She eventually said.

"Hmm?" He inquired without moving.

"The apartment. I want this one. Two bedrooms and light cabinets." She clarified. "This is the one where you proposed, the one where we're going to be a family."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
**THE END**  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The flashback reference to Flack & Angell's date during the courtroom scene was from my story "A Real Date". And yes, black cherry sparkling cider really does make for a nice alternative to red wine.

The original story of Rachel Layne, although she has been in subsequent chapters, was in "Flangellized" chapter 11 titled 'Winter Ball'.

The reference to Flack & Angell attending the open house at that same apartment complex is from "Flangellized" chapter 19 titled 'Apartments'.  
This is also the same apartment Flack refers to in my story "365 Days".

The reference to Dr. Rawles' conversation with Angell is part of my story "Pay Up (Runner's version)" chapter 8.

The references to Flack getting his Grandmother's ring is from "Flangellized" chapter 18 titled 'Limit of 3'.

And here's one more reminder that this concludes my re-write of S6. My next story (pre-wedding) is tentatively titled "The Wrong Kind", but I have not yet decided if I will add it here or post it separately, so you might want to add an 'Author Alert'. Again, just a suggestion, so you don't miss out on whichever way I decide to post it.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed "A Family". Please leave a review before you go!


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